Obama: Iran Deal Historic Chance to Pursue Safer World

President Barack Obama, seeking to sell the Iran nuclear deal to skeptical U.S. lawmakers and the American public, said on Wednesday the agreement represented a historic chance to pursue a safer world.

During a White House news conference, Obama said, "Without a deal, the international sanctions regime will unravel, with little ability to re-impose it. With this deal, we have the possibility to peacefully resolve a major threat to regional and international security."

Obama said there would have been a risk of more fighting in the Middle East without a deal and that other countries in the region would feel compelled to pursue their own nuclear programs "in the most volatile region in the world."

Obama said he expects a robust debate in Congress over the deal, which he said cuts off all of Iran's pathways to a nuclear weapons program.