JULIE PACE, AP White House Correspondent
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says the choice on the Iran nuclear deal is between diplomacy and some form of war.
Obama is working to undermine critics of the nuclear deal. He says some of those opponents accept the choice of war.
Obama argued in support of the deal in a speech at American University in Washington on Wednesday.
Obama says if Iran fails to abide by the deal, it’s possible the U.S. would have no alternative to using military force against Iran. He says he hasn’t shied away from using force when necessary. Obama is pointing out that he’s ordered military action in seven countries and has sent thousands of American troops into battle.
But Obama says the U.S. can’t justify war in good conscience before testing a diplomatic agreement that could meet its objectives.
Obama said the nuclear deal with Iran builds on the tradition of strong diplomacy that won the Cold War without firing any shots.
Obama is comparing the agreement to President John F. Kennedy’s call for Cold War diplomacy and nuclear disarmament. He says not every conflict was averted, but the world avoided nuclear catastrophe.
The President is working to dissuade lawmakers in Congress from trying to stop the agreement.
Obama says many of the same people who argued for going to war in Iraq are now opposing the Iran deal. He says the looming congressional vote is part of the most consequential foreign policy debate since the Iraq war was authorized.