For the last several days, State Department spokesperson Marie Harf has been at pains to explain why Iran is not violating the interim nuclear agreement, or Joint Plan of Action. For the last few days, the Obama administration has been pushing back against a New York Times article published Monday that quoted an IAEA report documenting how Iran’s “stockpile of nuclear fuel increased about 20 percent over the last 18 months.”

The administration understands the story is damaging. If Iran is cheating now with sanctions still in place, then it is only logical to assume the Iranians will cheat when sanctions are relieved under the terms of the final deal. However, by campaigning against the Times piece—on Twitter feeds, like Harf’s and that of Obama aide Ben Rhodes, in several press conferences, and through former negotiators—all the Obama White House has done is underscore its vulnerability.