Obama made his case in a nationally televised news conference responding to critics at home and abroad after Iran and six world powers sealed an accord in Vienna on Tuesday to restrict Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
"Without a deal,” Obama said, “there would be no limits to
Iran’s nuclear program and Iran could move closer to a nuclear bomb ...
Without a deal, we risk even more war in the Middle East.”
Obama, who must still overcome a congressional hurdle to
enact the accord, said that if the United States does not seize the
opportunity, “future generations will judge us harshly.”
The agreement is a triumph for Obama, who has made
outreach to America’s enemies a hallmark of his presidency, but it is
also seen as his biggest foreign policy gamble since taking office in
2009.
In his first
public comment, Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said the
deal should be scrutinized and legal procedures taken so the other side
does not breach it.
In a letter to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Khamenei - whose
ultimate backing was critical to securing the agreement - said some of
the powers involved in the negotiations "are not trustworthy."
Obama is now spearheading an intense White House push to
counter Republican critics in Congress and reassure jittery allies such
as Israel and Saudi Arabia. He sent Vice President Joe Biden to Capitol
Hill on Wednesday to corral fellow Democrats who might be wavering.
Critics say the deal contains loopholes, especially in
inspection procedures that Iran could exploit, and will provide Tehran
with an infusion of unfrozen assets to fund its proxies in sectarian
conflicts from Syria to Iraq to Yemen.
LAWYERLY APPROACH
At Wednesday's
news conference, Obama spoke in a lawyerly tone, at times mocking
opponents of the deal, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, for offering no viable alternative. He dismissed critics'
objections one by one and even solicited others from journalists.
Obama contended the deal was sound and that a "snap-back"
mechanism in it to restore sanctions if Iran cheated would ensure Tehran
faced real consequences.
But he acknowledged that although he hopes the deal will
encourage Iran to rein in its aggressive conduct in the region, he was
not betting on a change.
Obama said without a deal other countries in the Middle East
would feel compelled to pursue their own nuclear arms programs.
"There really are only two alternatives here," he said,
citing diplomacy or war, an appeal to war-weary Americans to back a
negotiated settlement with Iran.
Under the
agreement, sanctions imposed by the United States, the European Union
and the United Nations will be lifted in return for Iran agreeing
long-term curbs on a nuclear program that the West has suspected was
aimed at creating a nuclear bomb. Iran says the program is peaceful.
Obama has run into a storm of accusations from Republican
lawmakers and Israel that he gave away too much to Tehran.
Obama has vowed to veto any effort to block the deal and
though he faces a tough challenge in the Republican-controlled Congress
he is expected to prevail.
He said he does not anticipate Republicans in Congress will
rally around the pact but said that if lawmakers vote based on the facts
the majority should approve it.
The agreement, the biggest step toward rapprochement
between Iran and the West since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, is a
legacy-defining achievement for Obama as well as his best hope for
salvaging an otherwise shaky Middle East record.
Netanyahu cried
foul, however, convinced the deal will do little to curb Tehran's
nuclear ambitions and leave Israel under greater threat.
His nuclear affairs minister said Israel was like the boy
in the fairy tale who pointed out the emperor had no clothes, and
emphasized Israel's right to unilateral self-defense.
“Israel is like the little child that is pointing its
finger and saying, 'the king is naked, this agreement is naked'," said
Yuval Steinitz.
Obama said Israel, widely assumed to be the Middle East's only
nuclear-armed state, had legitimate security concerns but insisted that
danger would be compounded if Iran acquired a nuclear weapon.
Obama is sending his defense chief, Ash Carter, to reassure
Israel and other allies that the deal will not undermine America's
commitment to their security.
Congress will have 60 days to review the agreement.
Republicans would need the support of dozens of Democrats to sustain a
"resolution of disapproval" that could cripple a deal. But the odds are
slim that they could muster enough support to overrule an Obama veto.
(Reuters)
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