Kerry: I Cannot Promise an Agreement with Iran

John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, has expressed hope that the ongoing negotiations will yield results and lead to a 'good agreement,' while noting that he cannot promise that these talks will result in a deal with Iran. In an interview with ABC News on Sunday, March 1 (Esfand 10), Kerry stated that the United States should trust in a diplomatic agreement to resolve the Iranian nuclear dispute rather than resorting to military strategies. He defended the pursuit of an agreement with Iran to resolve the nuclear issue just two days before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to the U.S. Congress. However, Kerry welcomed Netanyahu's speech, hoping it would not turn into a 'political football.' He mentioned that he spoke with Netanyahu on Saturday regarding the Iranian nuclear negotiations. Netanyahu is set to speak on March 3 (Esfand 12) at a joint session of the Senate and House of Representatives about the 'dangers of Iran's nuclear program,' following an invitation from Republican House Speaker John Boehner. In the interview, Kerry emphasized that it is better to resolve the issue of preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons through diplomacy rather than military means, as military strategies should only be employed after all diplomatic opportunities have been exhausted. He acknowledged that he cannot guarantee a deal with Iran but expressed a desire to test whether diplomacy can prevent the development of nuclear weapons. Kerry reiterated that not reaching an agreement is better than a bad agreement, stating, 'We will certainly not make a bad deal.' He expressed hope that diplomacy would succeed, citing the success of the interim agreement in Geneva as a basis for confidence in achieving a similar good agreement for the future. The next round of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 group is scheduled to take place on March 5 (Esfand 14) in Montreux, Switzerland.