MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The political framework agreement reached between the P5+1 mediators and Iran in the Swiss city of Lausanne was the best way to ensure that Tehran does not develop nuclear weapons, US President Barack Obama told the New York Times.
"This is our best bet by far to make sure Iran doesn't get a nuclear weapon," Obama said in the interview, published on Sunday.
The US President also stressed that, despite the fact that the United States compromised with Iran on sanctions relief as part of the deal reached in Lausanne, Israel can always count on Washington in case of Iranian hostility.
"What we will be doing even as we enter into this deal is sending a very clear message to the Iranians and to the entire region that if anybody messes with Israel, America will be there," Obama said.
On Saturday, Obama said in his weekly address that the new agreement with Iran is "a good deal" that meets the core objectives of the United States. According to the US President, the agreement cuts off every pathway that Iran could take to develop a nuclear weapon.
The preliminary deal on the Iranian nuclear issue was struck between Tehran and the P5+1 group, which includes the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China and Germany, on Thursday, after marathon talks in Lausanne.
As part of the deal, Iran will not build new enrichment facilities or heavy water reactors for 15 years, and will also limit its stockpile of enriched uranium while abiding by enhanced transparency procedures. The number of centrifuges operating in Iran will be cut by more than two-thirds in ten years.
In return, the United States and the European Union promised to gradually lift all nuclear-related sanctions imposed against Iran. The UN Security Council will only partially lift its sanctions, with the existing restrictions on conventional arms and ballistic missiles as well as core UN provisions dealing with the transfer of sensitive technologies and activities to remain in place. US anti-Iran sanctions for terrorism, human rights abuses and ballistic missiles have not been cancelled either.
The lifted sanctions could be re-imposed if Iran fails to follow through with all of its commitments.
A final agreement between Iran and the P5+1 is due by June 30, 2015.
