WarSclerotic

Obama in Riyadh: Iran nuclear deal sign of ‘strength, not weakness’ Washington Examiner, Susan Crabtree, April 21, 2016

President Obama said, “Even as Iran is calling us the great Satan, we were able to get a deal done that reduces their nuclear stockpiles. That’s not a sign of weakness, that’s a sign of strength.” (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

President Obama vigorously defended his nuclear negotiations at the end of a summit of Persian Gulf state leaders and a rocky visit to Saudi Arabia aimed at reassuring the anxious ally and seeking more support for the fight against the Islamic State.

While the president acknowledged Saudi concern that the United States should not be “naïve” when dealing with Iran, he cited previous presidents’ willingness to engage in talks with Russia during the height of the Cold War as models to follow.

“John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan still negotiated with the Soviet Union even when the Soviet Union was threatening the destruction of the U.S.,” he said.

“That’s the same approach we have to take. Even as Iran is calling us the great Satan, we were able to get a deal done that reduces their nuclear stockpiles. That’s not a sign of weakness, that’s a sign of strength.”

Obama said he told Gulf leaders that the U.S. has to operate on a “dual track” with Iran in order to “be effective in our defense and hold Iran to account.

“But we also have to have the capacity to enter into a dialogue to reduce tensions and identify ways in which we [can engage] more reasonable forces inside of Iran and negotiate with the countries in the region so we don’t see an escalation and proxy fight across the region.”

Obama’s statement came the day after tensions flared between Obama and Saudi King Salman during a meeting Wednesday night that lasted more than two hours.

Afterward, the White House tried to tamp down talk of the frayed relationship by saying the meeting helped “clear the air” between the two leaders.

“I think it was a very open and honest discussion where they were able to address a whole range of issues … some of which we have been in agreement on and some [which have been] a source of tensions,” said Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes.

This entry was posted on April 21, 2016 at 11:11 PM and is filed under Iran scam, Obama and Iran, Obama's weakness, Saudi Arabia. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments.

Tags: Iran Scam, Obama and Iran, Obama's weakness, Saudi Arabia