The White House Friday hit back at Iranian assertions that sanctions against the nation be lifted as soon as a nuclear deal is finalized, saying a pact with Tehran would not go through unless such penalties were removed in phases.
“The fact of the matter is we have a framework and the president said if the details don’t bear out the agreement that was reached, we’re not going to get a final deal,” Ben Rhodes, a deputy national security adviser, said in Panama on the opening day of the Summit of the Americas.
“I think it’s very clear and understood that sanctions relief will be phased, with respect to Iran.”
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani demanded Thursday that all sanctions against the country be lifted “the same day” any agreement is signed. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei then went on to call the U.S. “devilish” and expressed doubts about the agreements being finalized.
Rhodes on Friday suggested that the supreme leader was just playing to a hardline audience in Iran.
“The supreme leader has said many, many things over the years that we have strong objections to,” Rhodes said.
However, critics say the Obama administration has oversold the “historic understanding” with Iran that the president hailed last week and argue the White House is desperate to put a positive spin on talks central to Obama’s legacy.
