The president’s blunt remarks, in an hour-long address at American University, were part of an intense lobbying campaign by the White House ahead of Congress’ vote next month to either approve or disapprove the landmark deal to curb Iran’s nuclear-weapons threat.
WASHINGTON — President Obama delivered a blistering defense of the landmark deal to curb Iran’s nuclear-weapons threat Wednesday, issuing a stinging rebuttal to critiques by Israeli leaders and Republicans in Congress, and warned that rejecting the deal would lead to war.
Making a strong sales pitch for public support, Obama described the diplomatic deal as “the strongest nonproliferation agreement ever negotiated” and said that if Congress votes to kill it next month, “they will not only pave Iran’s way to a bomb, they will accelerate” its ability to do so.