President Obama’s deputy national security adviser on Monday defended the new interim deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program, saying that the United States will “continue to confront” the Islamic Republic and that pressure on the country is “not going away.”
Tony Blinken, the White House aide, told CNN’s “New Day” that he understands why Israel is skeptical, since an Iranian bomb “would present an existential threat” to the country.
He said the United States shares Israel’s goals and will object to Iranian actions that “are a problem for us,” but the allies differ over tactics.
“Because it’s complicated, because it takes time, we wanted to make sure that Iran couldn’t use that time to advance its program,” Mr. Blinken said. “This stops the program in its tracks, rolls it back — gives us time to see if we can negotiate a comprehensive deal.”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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