ADVERTISEMENT

Mika Asks Blinken: At What Point Does the U.S. Look 'Desperate' To Make Iran Deal?

July 2, 2015

MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski asked Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken at what point going into overtime to make a nuclear deal with Iran starts to look "desperate" Thursday on Morning Joe.

Nuclear talks were predictably extended to July 7 when Iran and world powers were unable to come to a full agreement at the original June 30 deadline.

"Overtime, these talks still going, obviously a lot of back-and-forth now," said NBC reporter Ayman Mohyeldin. "Now it's been extended for at least another week. What's the latest in terms of the talks from the U.S. position? Is there anything else that the U.S. can give to give these talks --"

"And at what point does overtime look desperate?" Brzezinski asked, speaking over Mohyeldin.

"Well, we've been at this for almost two years, so taking a few extra days to see if we can get it right, to make sure that Iran will make good on the commitments it's already made, it's worth taking the time to do that, because the single best way to make sure Iran doesn't get the material for a nuclear weapon is through this negotiation and this agreement," Blinken said.

President Obama has made the potential deal a key goal of his second term, with adviser Ben Rhodes secretly likening its importance to getting Obamacare passed during his first term.

"Bottom line is, this is the best opportunity we’ve had to resolve the Iranian issue diplomatically, certainly since President Obama came to office, and probably since the beginning of the Iraq war," Rhodes said. "So no small opportunity, it’s a big deal. This is probably the biggest thing President Obama will do in his second term on foreign policy. This is healthcare for us, just to put it in context."

The U.S. has made numerous concessions on matters from prior disclosure of nuclear activities to allowing the building of enrichment centrifuges to the heavy water reactor at Arak remaining open. Blinken still insisted Thursday that Obama was prepared to walk away if Iran failed to make good on its prior commitments, although that hasn't prompted a cancellation of talks in the past.