Obama: Diplomacy is the Best Way to Contain Iran's Nuclear Program

Two days after Iran and the 1+5 group reached a nuclear understanding, Barack Obama, the President of the United States, stated on Saturday, April 15, that diplomacy is the best way to contain Iran's controversial nuclear program. According to AFP, Mr. Obama said in his weekly address: "As President and Commander-in-Chief, I firmly believe that the diplomatic option - a comprehensive and long-term agreement like this [achieved agreement] - is far better than other options." He explained that one should expect "hard discussions" in the United States regarding the new understanding with Iran and that he intends to keep the U.S. Congress informed about the "terms of the understanding." Referring to the stringent inspections that await Iran's nuclear program with the signing of the new understanding, he said: "If Iran cheats, the world will know. If we see something suspicious, we will inspect it." The U.S. President added: "Therefore, this agreement is not based on trust, but on unprecedented verifications." Iran and world powers finally reached an understanding on the framework of a comprehensive nuclear agreement on April 13 in Lausanne, Switzerland, after 12 years of negotiations. The agreement reached in Lausanne will lead to the lifting of sanctions on Iran while also limiting Iran's nuclear program; however, Israel and many members of the U.S. Congress do not consider these limitations sufficient. According to Reuters, Barack Obama, in his ongoing efforts to convince critics in Congress, has asked the four main leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate to discuss and exchange views on the framework of the understanding announced in Lausanne. Josh Earnest, the White House spokesman, said on Friday regarding convincing Congress about the benefits of the current nuclear agreement with Iran that "only in the past 24 hours, from the President to his Chief of Staff, and from officials at the State Department to the Department of Defense, we have all been talking to members of Congress." The final decision regarding the lifting of sanctions against Iran rests with the U.S. Congress.