Obama enlists benefits of Iran nuclear deal, says it has 99% support

Just a day after six world powers and Iran stitched up a 'historic' nuclear deal after months of negotiation, US President Barack Obama argued vehemently in the favour of the agreement, claiming that the accord makes the world a safer place by keeping Tehran away from getting a nuclear bomb.

Obama enlists benefits of Iran nuclear deal, says it has 99% support

Washington: Just a day after six world powers and Iran stitched up a 'historic' nuclear deal after months of negotiation, US President Barack Obama argued vehemently in the favour of the agreement, claiming that the accord makes the world a safer place by keeping Tehran away from getting a nuclear bomb.

Speaking at a televised press conference, Barack Obama sought to drive home the point that the deal would be instrumental in thwarting the nuke arms race in the Middle East there was no other peaceful alternative to resolve the 13-year-old nuclear standoff with Iran.

Speaking at the conference, he made sure to dwell upon the benefits of the deal, warning the critics about the dangers of an Iran without the deal.

 

“With this deal, we cut off every single one of Iran's pathways to a nuclear program, a nuclear weapons program. Without a deal, those pathways remain open...  With this deal, we have the possibility of peacefully resolving a major threat to regional and international security. Without a deal, we risk even more war in the Middle,” Obama said.

Obama added that the deal provided the UN inspectors an “unprecedented” around the clock monitoring while in the absence of the deal, Tehran was sure to move closer to a nuclear bomb, hence risking a nuke arms race in the Middle East.

“Without a deal, we risk even more war in the Middle East and other countries in the region would feel compelled to pursue their own nuclear programs, threatening a nuclear arms race in the most volatile region in the world,” Obama asserted.

However, the deal drew flak from US Conservatives and Israel and Saudi Arabia.

While US Republicans punched holes in the nuclear deal and dubbed it as unacceptable, Israeli PM Netanyahu called it a "historic mistake".

Well acquainted with the criticisms heaped on the deal by US republicans and Israel within 24 hours, the President chose the occasion to counter them strongly, saying the detractors of the deal never provided any feasible alternative.

He claimed that the deal had the support of 99% of the world community and nuclear experts.

"If 99 percent of the world community and the majority of nuclear experts look at this thing and they say this will prevent Iran from getting a nuclear bomb, and you are arguing either that it does not or that even if it does, it`s temporary... then you should have some alternative,"

Obama further claimed that there were only two alternatives to deal with the issue - either "diplomatically, through a negotiation, or through force. Through war".

However, in spite of having gambled on the deal with Iran, Obama did not appear to sugar coat relations with Iran.

He minced no words in saying that differences with Iran remain in place as Tehran continues to pose challenges with its “support of terrorism and use of proxies to destabilize parts of the Middle East".

He added that though he hoped that the deal was the “best way to avoid a nuclear arms race and more war in the Middle East...but we`re not betting on it”.

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