Talks with Iran over its nuclear program have continued with the US for more than a year, and President Barack Obama believes the time is near when it will be determined whether a deal can be reached, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said on Monday.
"There is a sense of urgency, because the President believes it is clearly in the national interest of the United States for us to prevent a nuclear arms race in the Middle East," Earnest said during a briefing.
"This is already a very volatile region of the world. And we do know the impact that Iran, obtaining a nuclear weapon, would have on a host of other countries in the region -- to say nothing of Iran's support for terrorism around the world; to say nothing of Iran's condemnation and ill will toward our strongest ally in the region, Israel." Obama believes the best way to resolve the situation is around the negotiating table, "that if we can reach an agreement in which Iran will commit to resolving the international community's concerns about their nuclear program in a verifiable way, that we can de-escalate the tension around that issue," Earnest said.
Tensions continue with Iran in other areas, "but this would be an important accomplishment and a good thing for US national security," Earnest said, referring to the talks between Iran and the Permanent 5 members of the UN Security Council plus Germany. "It also would be good for the national security of our strongest ally in the region, Israel." The White House remains realistic about the chances of success with the talks -- 50/50 at best, Earnest said. "But trying to reach an agreement around a negotiating table, even if it is an uphill climb, is vastly preferable to the other options that are available to the international community for resolving these concerns," he added.
A lot rests on the commitment of Iranian hard-liners to move forward with an agreement that would resolve the international community's concerns, Earnest said.
The international community seeks a verifiable commitment from Iran not to develop and obtain a nuclear weapon, "and there should be an opportunity for us to reach an agreement around this," he said. "But there are some in the Iranian regime who are reluctant to make that kind of commitment. And that is the principal barrier."