Post by Logan on Jan 18, 2016 9:59:47 GMT -6
Obama: Iran nuclear deal, prisoner release show the power of diplomacy
President Obama on Sunday defended his historic nuclear accord with Iran as proof that “smart, patient and disciplined” diplomacy can improve relations with a longtime foe, even as his administration announced new sanctions related to Tehran’s ballistic-missile program.
His declaration followed the lifting of many of the harshest international economic sanctions against Iran and confirmation that Iranian authorities had freed imprisoned Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian and four other Americans.
The president’s remarks Sunday at the White House capped a dramatic two-day stretch that highlighted the complex and uncertain nature of the United States’ new relationship with one of its oldest and most determined enemies.
Obama’s critics have pilloried the nuclear deal, casting it as a capitulation to Iran’s ruling clerics and evidence of the president’s weakness on the world stage. Obama discussed the deal in a tone more sober than celebratory and acknowledged that “profound differences” remain between the two countries.
Continue reading: www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-to-speak-to-the-nation-on-iran-at-1045-am/2016/01/17/9ea861a8-bd23-11e5-9443-7074c3645405_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_obamairan-840p%3Ahomepage%2Fstory
President Obama on Sunday defended his historic nuclear accord with Iran as proof that “smart, patient and disciplined” diplomacy can improve relations with a longtime foe, even as his administration announced new sanctions related to Tehran’s ballistic-missile program.
His declaration followed the lifting of many of the harshest international economic sanctions against Iran and confirmation that Iranian authorities had freed imprisoned Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian and four other Americans.
The president’s remarks Sunday at the White House capped a dramatic two-day stretch that highlighted the complex and uncertain nature of the United States’ new relationship with one of its oldest and most determined enemies.
Obama’s critics have pilloried the nuclear deal, casting it as a capitulation to Iran’s ruling clerics and evidence of the president’s weakness on the world stage. Obama discussed the deal in a tone more sober than celebratory and acknowledged that “profound differences” remain between the two countries.
Continue reading: www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-to-speak-to-the-nation-on-iran-at-1045-am/2016/01/17/9ea861a8-bd23-11e5-9443-7074c3645405_story.html?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_obamairan-840p%3Ahomepage%2Fstory