Obama: The Solution to Iran's Nuclear Program is Negotiation, Not Military Attack

The President of the United States has stated that an agreement based on negotiation is the solution to the controversial nuclear program of the Islamic Republic, not a military attack on Iran. In an interview with Israel's Channel 2 television aired on Monday, June 1, Barack Obama said: "I think I can demonstrate - not based on hope but on realities, evidence, and analyses - that the best way to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb is a fully verifiable agreement." The U.S. President stated that "military operations, even with U.S. participation, do not solve the problem" and added: "{A military attack} temporarily reduces the pace of Iran's nuclear program but does not destroy it." The government of Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel has previously warned that it may attack Iran's nuclear facilities to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear bomb. Over the past three decades, Israel has conducted surprise airstrikes at least twice against the nuclear facilities in Iraq and Syria, halting their nuclear programs. However, the Obama administration in Washington has emphasized that the military option is the last resort for dealing with Iran's nuclear program, always prioritizing diplomacy. Meanwhile, there are differing opinions within the U.S. government regarding the capability of the country to destroy the Islamic Republic's nuclear program through military power. The U.S. President had previously stated that he could force Iran to destroy the bolts and nuts of its nuclear facilities, but Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has said that Washington has the capability to disable, weaken, and destroy Iran's nuclear program. Carter pointed to powerful American bunker-buster bombs capable of destroying facilities built deep underground, stating that he believes Iranian officials are aware of this military capability of the U.S. The U.S. President also refrained from speculation when asked by Channel 2 whether he thinks Israel might attack Iran without consulting the United States. Barack Obama emphasized: "What I can tell the people of Israel is that I understand your concerns and fears." Iran, the U.S., Britain, France, China, Russia, and Germany have set the end of June 2015 as their deadline for reaching a comprehensive and final agreement regarding the Islamic Republic's nuclear program. In recent weeks, global powers and Iran have been engaged in efforts to resolve their differences regarding inspections of Iran's suspicious military facilities, interviews with those involved in the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, and the manner and timing of lifting sanctions against Iran.