President Obama sent the following message to the White House email list laying out how today's historic understanding with Iran will prevent Iran from producing a nuclear weapon. Didn't see it in your inbox? Sign up to get email updates here.
Today, the United States, together with our allies and partners, reached a historic understanding with Iran.
If fully implemented, this framework will prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, making our nation, our allies, and our world safer.
For decades, Iran has been advancing its nuclear program. When I took office, Iran was operating thousands of centrifuges — which can produce the materials for a nuclear bomb — and was concealing a secret nuclear facility. I made it clear that the United States was prepared to find a diplomatic resolution, if Iran came to the table in a serious way.
But that didn't happen.
So we rallied the world to impose the toughest sanctions in history, profoundly impacting Iran's economy. Sanctions couldn't stop Iran's nuclear program on their own, but they helped bring Iran to the negotiating table.
And after many months of tough and principled diplomacy, the United States — joined by the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia, China, and the European Union — achieved the framework for a deal that will cut off every pathway Iran could take to develop a nuclear weapon.
