Obama associates Iran accord opponents with Iraq War proponents

US President Barack Obama arrives to speak at the 116th National Convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) at the David Lawrence Convention Center on July 21, 2015 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (AFP)

US President Barack Obama has compared opponents of Iran’s nuclear conclusion with American war-mongering politicians “who were so quick to go to war in Iraq” in 2003.

Obama made the remarks at the 116th national convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars at the David Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday.

“In the debate over this deal, we’re hearing the echoes of some of the same policies and mindset that failed us in the past,” Obama said. “Some of the same politicians and pundits that are so quick to reject the possibility of a diplomatic solution to Iran’s nuclear program are the same folks who were so quick to go to war in Iraq, and said it would take a few months.”

US Army M1A1 Abrams MBT, and personnel from A Company, Task Force 1st Battalion, 35th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, pose for a photo under the "Hands of Victory" in Ceremony Square, Baghdad, in November 2003. (Wikipedia)

Last Tuesday, Tehran and the P5+1 -- the US, Britain, Russia, China, France, and Germany – reached a nuclear conclusion that put an end to years of negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program.

On Sunday, the US State Department announced that it sent the text of the conclusion to the Republican-weighted Congress, giving the American lawmakers 60 days to review it.

Obama said the agreement with Tehran is “a smarter, more responsible way to protect our national security.”

“Instead of dismissing the rest of the world and going it alone, we’ve done the hard and patient work of uniting the international community,” said the US president. “We’re seeing that strong and principled diplomacy can give hope of actually resolving a problem peacefully.”

‘Sending Dick Cheney to Iran talks’

Earlier in the day, Obama appeared on Comedy Central's The Daily Show where he jokingly told comedian Jon Stewart that the critics of the landmark conclusion believe that hawkish Dick Cheney, the former US vice president, should have been sent for negotiations with Iran.

Obama (L) speaks with Jon Stewart, the host of The Daily Show, during a taping of the show in New York on July 21, 2015. (AFP)

If only Cheney had been there, "everything would be fine," Obama said ironically.

He called on the American citizens to contact their members of Congress, noting, “I really want people to pay attention to this issue.”

"If people are engaged eventually the political system responds," he said.

The Republican Party members, including the presidential candidates, have criticized the outcome of talks with Iran.

Jeb Bush has called it a "terrible deal" while Marco Rubio labeled it "a dangerous and destabilizing failure."

Rick Perry has also pledged to kill the agreement as "one of my first official acts" as president.


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