WASHINGTON
The U.S. is intent on completing an agreement about Iran’s nuclear program within the next 48 hours but the goal is to reach a "good deal and not meeting some deadline," a State Department spokesman said Wednesday.
"If we need to negotiate further, we will," said Mark Toner. "If we reach a deal which we're all striving towards, you know, we expect it to stand up to and pass congressional scrutiny regardless of the length of any review period."
At the White House, spokesman Josh Earnest said the U.S. and its close allies around the world have made a "compelling case to Iran that it is time for them to make serious commitments about the peaceful nature of their nuclear program”.
He added that verification that Iran will not acquire a nuclear weapon, and an agreement to a set of verification measures that would ensure compliance with any agreement are part of the “compelling case”.
"Our hope is that they will choose to do that," Earnest said.
"But ultimately, the president has made clear that if they choose not to do that, that having no deal at all is far better than agreeing to a bad deal."
The U.S. and its negotiating partners agreed with Iran last week to extend talks beyond an end of June deadline, setting in motion a flurry of last-minute diplomacy ahead of a Tuesday expiration.
The P5+1 group, which includes the U.S., UK, France, China and Russia, plus Germany, have been seeking an unprecedented inspections regime on Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
