Itongadol.- The government of Israel believes that talks with Iran over its nuclear program has frozen the crisis, US President Barack Obama said over the weekend, classifying Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu as one of his many critics.
"Critics of our policy, like the Netanyahu government in Israel… their intelligence folks have acknowledged" that the Joint Plan of Action— an interim deal agreed upon by Iran and world powers last year— has paused Iran\’s progress towards a nuclear weapons capability.
Hitting back against "some in the foreign policy establishment" for a shoot-first mentality, Obama said he has demonstrated a consistent focus on diplomacy over provocation and force in his policies toward Iran, Cuba and Russia.
"There is this knee-jerk sense, I think, on the part of some in the foreign policy establishment that, you know, shooting first and thinking about it second projects strength," the president said. "I disagree with that."
The president\’s conversation with Candy Crowley, longtime CNN anchor, was pre-taped on Friday before her last Sunday show with the network.
On relations with Russia, Obama said his critics— and the media— have been proven wrong in assessing his policy by the downward spiral of Russia\’s economy in recent days.
"There was a spate of stories about how he is the chess master and outmaneuvering the West and outmaneuvering Mr. Obama, and this and that and the other," he said. "And right now, he\’s presiding over the collapse of his currency, a major financial crisis and a huge economic contraction."
"That doesn\’t sound like somebody who has rolled me or the United States of America," he continued."
But speaking for those critics, Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) reinforced his assessment, reacting to the interview on CNN: The president\’s statements are "bizarre," the senator said, characterizing Obama as misunderstood.
