President Obama laughed Tuesday when asked if Iran trying to weaponize a nuclear weapon is the U.S. red line, according to an interview transcript prepared by Telemundo:
PRESIDENT OBAMA: There have been some exchanges. I sent him a letter after his election indicating the U.S.'s interest in resolving this nuclear issue, in a way that would allow Iran to rejoin the international community. But it's gonna have to show the international community that it's not trying to weaponize nuclear power.
DIAZ-BALART: Is that your red line--
OBAMA: --and--
DIAZ-BALART: --in Iran?
OBAMA: (LAUGH) The-- I-- I-- I think it's clear that-- Iran is under a whole host of international sanctions precisely because the entire international community believes that we can't see a nuclear arms race triggered in the most volatile part of the world. And-- there is an opportunity here for diplomacy. I hope the Iranians take advantage of it. There are indications that Rowhani, the new president-- is somebody who is-- looking to-- open dialogue with-- the West and with the United States-- in a way that-- we haven't seen in the past. And so we should test it.
Obama faced criticism earlier this month after telling reporters, "I didn't set a red line" during a joint press conference with the Swedish prime minister, framing his stated chemical weapons "red line" instead as an international norm.
In the interview Tuesday, the president emphasized the report released this week by the United Nations that concluded chemical weapons were used in Syria by the Assad regime.
"This will only be the first step, even if we get an agreement on chemical weapons," Obama said of the situation in Syria. "We still have a destabilizing situation there and we're gonna have to take action-- diplomatically, to try to resolve it."
Asked about what he will do if the current diplomatic arrangement fails and Congress rejects military force in Syria, Obama declined to answer, saying he would not "prejudge the situation."