Exclusive: Obama says Iran must halt nuclear work for at least a decade

Reuters ^ | Mon Mar 2, 2015 5:35pm EST | Jeff Mason

[keat]

(Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said on Monday that Iran should commit to a verifiable freeze of at least 10 years on its nuclear activity for a landmark atomic deal to be reached, but said the odds were still against sealing a final agreement.

In an interview with Reuters at the White House, Obama said that a rift over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's planned speech to Congress opposing the Iran deal on Tuesday was a distraction that would not be "permanently destructive" to U.S. Israeli ties.

But he said there was a "substantial disagreement" between his administration and the Israeli government over how to achieve their shared goal of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

“If, in fact, Iran is willing to agree to double-digit years of keeping their program where it is right now and, in fact, rolling back elements of it that currently exist ... if we’ve got that, and we’ve got a way of verifying that, there’s no other steps we can take that would give us such assurance that they don’t have a nuclear weapon," he said.

The U.S. goal is to make sure "there’s at least a year between us seeing them try to get a nuclear weapon and them actually being able to obtain one," Obama said.

Israel fears that Obama's Iran diplomacy, with an end-of-March deadline for a framework nuclear agreement, will still allow its arch-foe to develop an atom bomb. Tehran denies it is seeking nuclear weapons.

Netanyahu has spoken scathingly about a possible deal, saying negotiators appear to have given up on a pledge to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. He says a nuclear-armed Iran would pose an existential threat to the Jewish state.

[JudyinCanada]

In other words, they’ll have 10 years to do what they want, hide, trick, lie, etc. At the end of 10 years they’ll have a nuclear weapon and tell everyone to pound sand (no pun intended).

[C210N]

So, what exactly does Ø now really want? Bibi is in-country, spoke today and will speak tomorrow. Does Ø want Bibi to cut his trip in half, and go home tonight?

No, obviously. His clear intent is to totally trash the US-Israeli relationship, which he has no use for. To continue to complain, accomplishes that. And, best of all, soon-to-be nuclear Iran - headed to a nuke with or without Ø’s negotiations, he’ll blame on Bibi by claiming sabotage.

[elpadre]

does anyone believe Iran?? or Obama??

[Organic Panic]

10 years. So just in case Hillary wins when the mushroom cloud appears in the Iranian dessert he will be long forgotten and remembered as the failed president who gave Iran nukes. And yes I said “gave.” He will give them all the technology they need to make nukes as part of the ‘deal.’

[urbanpovertylawcenter]

Let me see, the Clintons gave Chicoms supercomputer technology for a $360,000 campaign contribution from johnny Waung, and millions in contributions to the Clinton Foundation, and Obama gives Iran nukes for what?

Allah?

[originalbuckeye]

Oooooooo! Obama threatening Iran? I just bet they are quaking in their boots! /s

[what's up]

I do believe Obama wants Iran to head up the new Caliphate.

I believe he thinks the world was better off when Persia was in charge. To Obama and other Muslims, things went downhill when Western Civilization prevailed when Alexander the Great beat Persia.