In a bid to discredit criticism of the deal, Obama will also argue in a speech Wednesday at American University that the politicians who supported the Iraq war now oppose the diplomatic deal with Iran.
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“Obama followed the lead of past Presidents to balance fear and engagement in a foreign policy speech”, said Brandon Rottinghaus, a University of Houston political scientist.
The president launched a detailed explanation of how and why the U.S. and global partners reached a landmark agreement that aims to curb Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for billions of dollars in relief from sanctions.
Obama would veto such a measure, and Congress would need a two-thirds vote in each chamber to override it. Despite a fierce lobbying campaign by opponents of the deal and the government of Israel, the agreement seems likely to survive – although Obama’s powerful language Wednesday suggested he is not taking that outcome for granted.
Lawmakers will vote to approve or reject the deal next month. And we saw a very different presidential approach in this speech.
Obama said Americans “still live with the consequences of the decision to invade Iraq” and underlined that “ironically, the single greatest beneficiary in the region of that war was the Islamic Republic of Iran, which saw its strategic position strengthened by the removal of its long-standing enemy, Saddam Hussein”.
“By invoking JFK at A.U, he intentionally wants this to be seen as his singular achievement of peace over war”, said Hooman Majd, a New York-based Iran expert.
The meeting where the plan was discussed included over 20 leaders from Jewish communal and pro-Israel organizations, including some who are for the Iran deal, such as J Street, and some who are against it, like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. “It actually paves Iran’s path to the bomb”, which is what he also warned in his address before a joint session of Congress in March.
“The president needs to retract his freaky and preposterous comments”, McConnell said in a statement.
Ahead of Obama’s address, Wendy Sherman, chief U.S. negotiator in the lengthy nuclear deliberations, and Adam Szubin, acting undersecretary of the Treasury for terrorism and financial crimes, are to testify before the Senate Banking Committee.
“The prohibition on Iran having a nuclear weapon is permanent”. But he said that was preferable to an Iran – which he described as “dangerous and repressive” – armed with a nuke.
He said none of the arguments against the deal “stand up to scrutiny”. He says he hasn’t shied away from using force when necessary.
Obama drew on history to bolster support, saying the accord builds on an American tradition of “strong, principled diplomacy” with adversaries, including the former Soviet Union.
“Just because Iranian hardliners chant “Death to America” does not mean that’s what all Iranians believe”, Obama continued.
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Hours earlier Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu, the strongest critic of the Iran deal, spoke to more than 10,000 people on a webcast organised by Jewish groups. Iran’s antagonism toward the United States, Israel and support for terror groups in the Middle East since then has given many lawmakers pause, with a number of Democrats already breaking ranks.
