Panama City: President Barack Obama pressed opponents Saturday of a deal on Iran`s contested nuclear program to be patient and not "screw up" the potential for a historic agreement.
In addition to staunch Republican opposition in the United States to an accord with the Islamic republic, Iran`s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned on Thursday that there were no guarantees of an agreement.
"I don`t understand why it is that everybody`s working so hard to anticipate failure," Obama told reporters in Panama City on the sidelines of the Summit of the Americas.
"My simple point is: let`s wait and see what the deal is... And if, in fact, we`re not satisfied that it cuts off the pathways for Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon, then we won`t sign it."
On April 2, after months of grueling negotiations, Tehran and six world powers agreed on the broad outline of a deal to impose tighter controls on Iran`s nuclear program in exchange for lifting economic sanctions.
"What I`m concerned about is making sure we don`t prejudge it or those who are opposed to any deal whatsoever try to use a procedural argument essentially to screw up the possibility of a deal," Obama said.
The P5+1 powers and Tehran have given themselves until June to finalize a detailed accord, but Washington has released fact sheets outlining steps it says Tehran has already agreed to take.
