Obama Defends U.S. Foreign Policy Regarding Iran, Russia, and Cuba

Barack Obama, the President of the United States, defended his administration's foreign policy regarding Iran, Syria, Russia, and Cuba. In a televised interview with CNN, Obama responded to criticisms of U.S. foreign policy's inaction towards Iran and Syria, as well as the annexation of Crimea by Russia, stating: 'Previously, stories were told about Vladimir Putin's power and how he plays political chess with Mr. Obama and others. Today, he is witnessing the collapse of his country's currency, a major economic crisis that will have significant economic repercussions.' The U.S. President emphasized that the current situation in Russia does not indicate that Vladimir Putin has been able to outmaneuver the West and others. Following the Ukraine crisis and the annexation of Crimea, the U.S. and the European Union imposed sanctions on Russia. The timing of these sanctions, along with the decline in global oil prices, has caused the ruble, Russia's official currency, to lose value rapidly in recent months. However, the Central Bank of Russia has raised interest rates by more than 60% to strengthen the ruble, but this policy has not yet prevented the ruble's decline. Obama stated: 'In some parts of the foreign policy apparatus, there are those who advocate a policy that believes one should shoot first and think later. But I do not agree with such an approach.' The U.S. President continued: 'We have been firm against countries that violate international laws or act against our national interests.' He emphasized that he still believes diplomatic solutions can resolve issues. Obama pointed to Iran as an example, stating that in the past year and a half, since the start of negotiations, this is the first year and a half in the past decade where Iran's nuclear program has not progressed. In response to a CNN reporter's question about evidence confirming the lack of progress in Iran's nuclear program, he said: 'Not only do we and the International Atomic Energy Agency confirm that Iran's nuclear program has not progressed, but critics of our foreign policy, such as the government of Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel, have confirmed through their intelligence that Iran's nuclear program has not advanced during this time.' Obama's reference is to the Geneva Agreement, where Iran and the U.S., U.K., France, China, Russia, and Germany (the 1+5 group) reached a temporary agreement last year to resolve the nuclear dispute. Under this agreement, Iran halted parts of its nuclear activities in exchange for a reduction in some sanctions against it. The International Atomic Energy Agency also stated in a report obtained by Reuters on December 19 that Iran remains committed to the temporary Geneva agreement and has halted the process of converting highly enriched uranium. The report emphasized that uranium enrichment in Iran is still at the 5% level agreed upon with world powers. Obama further defended his administration's policy to improve relations with Cuba, stating: 'For 50 years, we tried to overthrow a government through isolation. This approach has not been effective. If we engage, we will have the opportunity to influence the course of events.' Obama and Raul Castro, the President of Cuba, simultaneously announced on December 17 that they have begun the process of normalizing relations between the two countries. In his speech, Obama stated that serious negotiations were underway and that the policy of isolating Cuba has shown its ineffectiveness. Following Obama's remarks about resuming relations between Cuba and the U.S. after more than five decades, some members of the U.S. Congress opposed this action.