Obama, Kerry: Nuclear-free Iran unrealistic, but Israel already safer

The US stood firmly behind its deal with Iran on Saturday as both President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry reaffirmed their support for Israel and reassured its leaders that the security of their state remains paramount in considering next steps with Iran. Speaking at the 10th annual Saban Forum, a dialogue on US-Israeli relations chaired by Israeli-American billionaire Haim Saban, Obama said he had no guarantee as to how the diplomatic route with Iran would unfold over the next six months, but the only way to find out is to test it and see how far the country's nuclear capabilities could be rolled back. "If we could create an option in which Iran eliminated every single nut and bolt of their nuclear program, and foreswore the possibility of ever having a nuclear program, and, for that matter, got rid of all its military capabilities, I would take it," said Obama. He added "That particular option is not available. "One can envision an ideal world in which Iran said, 'We'll destroy every element and facility and you name it, it's all gone.' I can envision a world in which Congress passed every one of my bills that I put forward. There are a lot of things that I can envision that would be wonderful." Obama noted that although the agreement between Iran and the UM Permanent 5 + Germany (P5+1) does not allow for any measure of nuclear enrichment, it's simply unrealistic for the country to go nuclear-free. "Theoretically, they will always have some capability, because technology here is available to any good physics student at pretty much any university around the world," he explained. "And they have already gone through the cycle to the point where the knowledge we are not going to be able to eliminate. But what we can do is eliminate the incentive for them to want to do this," he added. What is possible during negotiations, continued Obama, is "a comprehensive agreement that involves extraordinary constraints and verification mechanisms and intrusive inspections, but that permits Iran to have a peaceful nuclear program." The president stressed that the Geneva deal is good for both the US and Israel's national security, even as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to criticize the agreement. "We kept all our sanctions in place -- the architecture remains with respect to oil, with respect to finance, with respect to banking," said Obama. "What we've done is we've turned the spigot slightly and we've said, here's maximum USD 7 billion out of the over USD 100 billion of revenue of theirs that is frozen as a consequence of our sanctions." "We provide a small window through which they can access some revenue, but we can control it and it is reversible," he stated. "Our support of Israel's security has never been stronger," he noted. Kerry, who also delivered remarks on Saturday, said America's closest ally is already in a better place today. "I am convinced that we have taken a strong first step that has made the world, and Israel, safer," he noted. As the most senior American official present in Geneva for the talks, Kerry pointed to the strength of the diplomatic process in a bid to reassure Israeli leaders, insisting that Iran will see harsh consequences if it does not prove trustworthy. "As we negotiate, we will continue to be perfectly clear that, for Iran, the price of noncompliance, of failing to satisfy international concerns about the nuclear program, will be that we immediately ratchet up new sanctions, along with whatever further steps are needed to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, including, a military option, if that were necessary," he said. Netanyahu had long been calling for highly restrictive sanctions in the hope that Iran will ultimately surrender its entire nuclear capacity. "While we may sometimes favor a different tactical choice, the United States and Israel have always shared the same fundamental strategic goal," said Kerry. "As we move forward in this negotiation, we will continue to consult very closely with Israel, as with our other friends and allies in the region and around the world whose input is critical to us in this process." Netanyahu is scheduled to speak at the Saban Forum via satellite on Sunday.