‘The deal was not meant to warm Iran-US ties’

“The premise of the deal is not that Iran warms up to the US or that we are engaging in a strategic reassessment of the relationship,” Obama tells CNN.

In the wake of the rise of the Islamic State, it may be conceivable that Iran and Saudi Arabia recognize that their common foe is “chaos,” Obama say, adding that IS is far more dangerous to them than they are to each other.

“Opponents can’t just say we want a better deal. They can’t just say we want to be tougher,” Obama says, calling on his opponents to “engage in a substantive conversation of how to achieve a shared goal – preventing Iran from achieving a nuclear weapons.”

“If Congress rejects the deal, that objective will be harder to achieve,” Obama adds, noting that if Congress sinks a deal “it may also weaken America’s standing on the international stage.”

“The issue is, does the world take seriously the US’s ability to craft international agendas, reach and deliver international agreements?” Obama asks.

The president concludes: “I don’t intend to lose on this.”