By Eric Bradner, CNN
updated 8:42 PM EST, Fri December 5, 2014
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Washington (CNN) -- Hillary Clinton is defending President Barack Obama's decision to extend talks with Iran over dismantling its nuclear program.
"I think it is a very important effort to continue to pursue, and to try to see if we can reach an agreement that is in line with our requirements," Clinton said Friday night.
But she called for a tough approaching in the talks that were recently extended for seven more months, saying she is "strongly of the view that no deal is better than a bad deal."
"A deal that verifiably closes all of Iran's pathways to a nuclear weapon -- and the key there is verifiably, and all, including covert efforts -- that is what is at the center of this negotiation," Clinton said. "And I think, one might say remarkably, our partners have not jumped ship. They have stayed in the negotiation."
Her comments came during an hour-long question-and-answer session with Haim Saban, a major Democratic donor, in an event hosted by the Brookings Institution.
Clinton has claimed credit for starting those talks with Iran during her tenure as President Barack Obama's Secretary of State -- and the issue could remain a hot topic if, as is widely expected, she seeks the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016.
Republicans have criticized the Obama administration's handling of the Iran talks, and have argued that they'd advance legislation to impede any deal that would allow Iran to continue to enrich uranium.
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Clinton defends Obama on Iran talks