Obama hopes nuclear deal encourages cooperation
President Barack Obama said Wednesday that he hopes the Iran nuclear deal will encourage the country to "behave differently" and stop sponsoring terrorist actors in the Middle East.
He also said the US will try to gain greater cooperation from Iran on ending violent unrest in Syria and Yemen. But, he notes, "we're not betting on it."
While defending the deal, the president said critics of the plan should consider the alternatives. Without the deal, he said, the world risks "even more war in the Middle East," increases the chances of an arms race, and leaves open the possibility of that Iran comes closer to having a nuclear weapon.
Obama spoke during an East Room news conference, warning that the deal shouldn't be allowed to "slip away" because the opportunity "may not come again in our lifetime."
