Days after Netanyahu’s historic speech to Congress against a deal with Iran, Obama said that the US would “walk away” from an unacceptable agreement.
US President Barack Obama stated that the US would “walk away” from nuclear talks with Iran if there was no acceptable deal or if the US felt that Iran would not follow through with the agreement.
Obama told CBS News’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday that any agreement must allow the negotiating P5+1 powers to verify that Tehran was unable to obtain an atomic weapon.
“If we cannot verify that they are not going to obtain a nuclear weapon — that there’s a breakout period so that even if they cheated we would be able to have enough time to take action — if we don’t have that kind of deal, then we’re not going to take it,” he said.
“If there’s no deal,” Obama said, “then we walk away.”
Obama nonetheless continued to defend the negotiations, despite opposition from Congress and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Iran has abided by the terms of the agreement. We know what’s happening on the ground in Iran…. We’ve been able to roll back their 20-percent highly enriched uranium during this period [of negotiations],” Obama said.
“We’re not losing anything through these talks,” he added.
Getting Close to a Deal with Iran?
The US president conceded that large differences still remain between the negotiating parties. “We have made progress in narrowing the gaps, but those gaps still exist,” he said.
“Over the next month or so, we’re going to be able to determine whether or not their system is able to accept what would be an extraordinarily reasonable deal if in fact, as they say, they are only interested in peaceful nuclear programs,” Obama told correspondent Bill Plante. “And if we have unprecedented transparency in that system, if we are able to verify that in fact they are not developing weapons systems, then there’s a deal to be had, but that’s going to require them to accept the kind of verification and constraints on their program that so far, at least, they have not been willing to say yes to.”
Both sides are pressured as they face a March 30th deadline for finalizing an initial agreement.
Speaking on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that the negotiating parties were likely to reach an accord.
“I believe there are more chances of success than failure,” the Iranian IRNA news site quotes him as saying. “The odds of [reaching] a [final] deal is more than 50 percent,” he said.
“I feel both sides believe it will be more useful if the talks yield an agreement rather than break down,” he underscored.
Congress Wants a Say on the Deal
Senator Mitch McConnell. (Christopher Halloran/Shutterstock)
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell told CBS News on Sunday that Congress should have a chance to review and vote on any deal, but he acknowledged that he did not have the support yet to override a threatened veto by Obama. “I’m hoping we can get 67 senators to assert the historic role of the Senate and the Congress in looking at matters of this magnitude,” he said. A majority of 67 senators is needed to override a presidential veto.
“Obviously, the president doesn’t want us involved in this,” McConnell said. “But he’s going to need us if he’s going to lift any of the existing sanctions. And so I think he cannot work around Congress forever.”
Congress also introduced a bill earlier in March that would require a congressional review of any deal that the Obama administration and the other negotiating powers strike with Iran regarding its nuclear program.
By: Aryeh Savir
Staff Writer, United with Israel
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