US House speaker wants nuclear standoff with Iran, not agreement
US House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner says a nuclear standoff with Iran is preferable to the agreement the Obama administration is currently negotiating with the Islamic Republic.
The Ohio Republican made the remarks in an interview with CBS News on Sunday, as Iran and the P5+1 countries - the United States, Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany - are engaged in intense talks in Vienna, Austria, towards reaching a landmark accord over Tehran’s nuclear energy program.
Boehner, who antagonized the White House by inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address the US Congress about Iran talks in March, blamed the White House for conceding too much to Iranian negotiators, saying that he would rather end the talks than continue on the current path.
"No deal is better than a bad deal. And from everything that's leaked from these negotiations, the administration's backed away from almost all of the guidelines that they set up for themselves," Boehner said on CBS's "Face the Nation" program.
"And so if, in fact, there's no agreement, the sanctions are going to go back in place," he added.
Asked what happens if the negotiations with Iran fail, Boehner said, "Then we'll have a standoff."
"But that's a lot better than legitimizing [Iran]," he added. "If, in fact, there's a deal, that's what'll happen."
US Secretary of State John Kerry is leading multinational talks in Vienna aimed at resolving the 13-year Western dispute with Iran over its nuclear program.
The United States, Israel, and some of their allies accuse Iran of pursuing military objectives in its nuclear energy program.
Iran rejects the allegation, arguing that as a committed signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has the right to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
Iranian and P5+1 diplomats have missed four previous deadlines en route to the latest deadline on Monday, but Kerry has insisted they are on a path to succeed.
Kerry said on Sunday that negotiators are still at odds over “a few tough things,” but he's hopeful an agreement can be reached soon.
He made the comments after holding a “very good meeting” with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
"I think we're getting to some real decisions. So I will say, because we have a few tough things to do, I remain hopeful. Hopeful," Kerry said.
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