There are some "very difficult aspects" of the negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program that still have not been resolved as a Nov. 24 deadline for the talks to conclude draws near, White House press secretary Josh Earnest acknowledged on Thursday.
"And it is also clear that there are some very important decisions that the Iranian negotiators and the Iranian regime need to make for themselves about what they are willing to do to resolve the international communityآ’s concerns about their nuclear program and about their efforts to obtain a nuclear weapon," Earnest said during an interview on the MSNBC "Morning Joe" program.
Obama has made a strong case, Earnest said, "and I think that there is bipartisan agreement ... that the best way that we can resolve the international communityآ’s concerns about Iranآ’s nuclear program is to try to resolve them diplomatically; that if we can negotiate an agreement that will give the international community clear visibility into what exactly Iran is doing, that is the best way to ease everybodyآ’s concerns about their program." That is a better resolution of the issue than taking military strikes, "because you can take a military strike, but that is inherently temporary," Earnest said.
"Iran is, of course, going to try to rebuild that capability if you take a military strike," he said. "But if you reach a diplomatic solution, a negotiated solution that allows the international community to have some clear visibility in what their plans are, that is the way that you can assure everybody of the peaceful nature of the Iran nuclear program."