White House: Nuclear talks’ success depends on Iran

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White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said on Sunday that he is optimistic that the Obama administration can reach a nuclear deal with Iran by Tuesday’s self-imposed deadline.

Earnest said the deadline will be met if a deal is “doable,” and said Iran’s cooperative is crucial.

{mosads}“Ultimately, the president believes that we should be able to … reach an agreement by the end of March if one is doable,” Earnest said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week,” noting that the Obama administration has been negotiating with Iran for more than a year in an effort to reduce its nuclear capabilities.

Earnest did not say whether the administration would allow the deadline to be extended again.

“It’s time for the Iranians to send a clear signal to the international community about whether or not they are willing to make the serious commitments required, and basically live up to their rhetoric, that they are not trying to acquire a nuclear weapon,” he said.

“So, if they can make those commitments, they should be able to do that by the end of March.”

Earnest also defended Obama’s diplomacy efforts from Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) charge that the president is “anti-war.”

The White House’s top spokesman said that if Boehner wants to deploy troops to more conflict zones like Yemen, Iraq or Iran, “then he should have the courage of his convictions to actually say so.”