Obama: Iran Can Become a Very Successful Regional Power

Barack Obama, the President of the United States, stated that Iran could become a "very successful regional power" by accepting a long-term comprehensive nuclear agreement. In an interview with the American radio network NPR, Obama expressed that Iran has the chance to clarify its position with the international community. Reuters reported on Monday, December 29, that this interview was recorded on December 18, 11 days ago, at the White House and is set to be published this week. Over the past year, Iran reached an understanding with six world powers on a temporary nuclear agreement, which has been extended until July 1 of next year. According to the Geneva agreement, Iran halted uranium enrichment at the 20 percent level in exchange for the lifting of some Western sanctions and is not expected to activate new-generation centrifuges. The Islamic Republic of Iran claims that its nuclear program is peaceful, but from the perspective of Western countries, Iran is likely attempting to build a nuclear bomb under the guise of peaceful activities. Obama further stated that Iran should seize the opportunity to stop "crippling" sanctions: "Because if they (Iran) do so, there are incredible talents, resources, and subtleties within Iran that can turn it into a successful regional power while complying with international rules and regulations, which would be desirable for everyone." Reuters notes that while U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said on Saturday, December 6, that the chances of reaching a nuclear agreement are less than 50 percent, Obama emphasized in the NPR interview that "a comprehensive nuclear agreement is possible." The U.S. President added that "Iran's legitimate defensive concerns after enduring the hardships of the Iraq war are valid," but criticized "Iran's adventures like supporting groups such as Hezbollah that directly threaten Israel." He also did not dismiss the idea of reopening the U.S. embassy in Iran. Obama stated that he does not say that the Washington embassy in Tehran will never reopen, but the prerequisite is the re-establishment of relations between the two countries. Recently, the U.S. and Cuba reached an agreement on normalizing relations, but Obama said that Iran is different from Cuba, as Iran finances some terrorist groups and, unlike Cuba, which is a small country, Iran poses a significant threat to the U.S. with nuclear capabilities. Nevertheless, he expressed hope that one day Washington-Tehran relations would improve. Regarding a question about how he plans to help rebuild war-torn countries in the remaining two years of his presidency, he said that priority is given to countries like Libya, Syria, and Iraq, but he emphasized that the U.S. can only assist, not take on the rebuilding itself. He also rejected reports about allocating trillions of dollars for sending U.S. ground troops to fight the Islamic State, stating that we need trillions of dollars for rebuilding schools, roads, basic sciences, and our own research in America.