‘They Cannot Fight Us’

President Barack Obama stressed that the U.S. still has cards to play if the Iran nuclear deal doesn’t work out and insisted his government will ensure nobody “messes” with Israel.

 

In an interview with the New York Times’ Thomas Friedman, Obama defended the controversial pact as part of a broader foreign policy approach, not just towards Tehran but also towards countries like Cuba, of “engagement.” The president said he believed that approach — dubbed by the columnist as the “Obama Doctrine” — better served American interests than sanctions and isolation.

 

“We are powerful enough to be able to test these propositions without putting ourselves at risk. And that’s the thing … people don’t seem to understand,” Obama said. “You take a country like Cuba. For us to test the possibility that engagement leads to a better outcome for the Cuban people, there aren’t that many risks for us… If it turns out that it doesn’t lead to better outcomes, we can adjust our policies.”

 

Read More: Obama on Iran Nuclear Deal: ‘They Cannot Fight Us’ – NBC News.com