“And it is American diplomacy, backed by pressure, that has halted the progress of Iran’s nuclear program – and rolled parts of that program back – for the very first time in a decade. As we gather here tonight, Iran has begun to eliminate its stockpile of higher levels of enriched uranium. It is not installing advanced centrifuges. Unprecedented inspections help the world verify, every day, that Iran is not building a bomb. And with our allies and partners, we’re engaged in negotiations to see if we can peacefully achieve a goal we all share: preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
These negotiations will be difficult. They may not succeed. We are clear-eyed about Iran’s support for terrorist organizations like Hezbollah, which threaten our allies; and the mistrust between our nations cannot be wished away. But these negotiations do not rely on trust; any long-term deal we agree to must be based on verifiable action that convinces us and the international community that Iran is not building a nuclear bomb. If John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan could negotiate with the Soviet Union, then surely a strong and confident America can negotiate with less powerful adversaries today.
The sanctions that we put in place helped make this opportunity possible. But let me be clear: if this Congress sends me a new sanctions bill now that threatens to derail these talks, I will veto it. For the sake of our national security, we must give diplomacy a chance to succeed. If Iran’s leaders do not seize this opportunity, then I will be the first to call for more sanctions, and stand ready to exercise all options to make sure Iran does not build a nuclear weapon. But if Iran’s leaders do seize the chance, then Iran could take an important step to rejoin the community of nations, and we will have resolved one of the leading security challenges of our time without the risks of war.”
File photo: President Barack Obama delivering SOTU address to the joint session of Congress. 28 January 2014. (Larry Downing/Getty Images/HoffPo)
2 comments:
VERY IRONICAL-It is the president ,for the sake of his legacy to emulate his predecessors -those who defeated pressure to negotiate with Soviet Union -that He has to size the opportunity and lay the foundation for peace b/tween the two Nations. And the bombshell that HEZBOLLAH is a terrorist organization because it threatens our 'allies' is too cheap.
The President should come down to reality and seek a date with the LEADER in Iran and have a one on one !.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtB6TpQuuQE --- Congress trying hard to pass sanctions bill in order to ratchet up pressure on Iran.
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