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.