Obama Admits Seeking a 10 Year Deal with Iran After Denying it Last Week
OBAMA: "I don’t think it’s permanently destructive. I think that it is a distraction from what should be our focus. And our focus should be,‘How do we stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon?... So the question is this: If in fact we are trying to finalize a deal, why not wait to see a) is there actually going to be a deal? Can Iran accept the terms that we’re laying out? If in fact Iran can accept terms that would ensure a one year breakout period for ten years or longer and during that period we know Iran is not developing a nuclear weapon - we have inspectors on the ground that give us assurances that they’re not creating a covert program - why would we not take that deal when we know the alternatives, whether through sanctions or military actions, will not result in as much assurance that Iran is developing a nuclear weapon? There’s no good reason for us not to let the negotiations play themselves out. Then we’ll show, here - here’s the deal that’s been negotiated, does it make sense? And I am confident that if, in fact, a deal is arrived at, then it’s going to be a deal that is most likely to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon."
REUTERS: "How would you judge, what’s your assessment of the percentage likelihood now of this happening."
OBAMA: "The likelihood of?"
REUTERS: "Of a deal coming through? You’ve said before less than 50 percent."
OBAMA: "You know, I would say that it’s probably still more likely than not that Iran doesn’t get to yes. But I think in fairness to them, they have been serious negotiators. And they’ve got their own politics inside of Iran. It is more likely that we could get a deal now than perhaps three or five months ago. But there are still some big gaps that have to be filled."