Mediaboss Marketing

In an interview with CNN's Erin Burnett, Carter said a deal would not be based on "trust" but on "verification."

These comments come after Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged negotiators on Thursday not to accept a deal with the United States that includes "unconventional inspections," tweeting that he is "neither for nor against" the deal.

Read: Iran: No signing final nuclear deal unless economic sanctions are lifted

The Obama administration faces an uphill battle in securing a deal with Iran amid mounting criticism in Congress and strong push back from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who vowed that Israel would take military action, if needed, to stop Iran from developing its nuclear capabilities.

Here are other highlights from the interview:

Is the military option still on the table?

Carter said that the current framework for a deal with Iran does not take the military option off the table but added that it will currently not be used.

"We have the capability to shut down, set back and destroy the Iranian nuclear program and I believe the Iranians know that and understand that," he said, referencing the military's most powerful ground-penetrating bomb, the Massive Ordinance Penetrator (MOP).

The MOP -- which can explode 200 feet underground and is designed to destroy deeply buried and fortified targets -- is ready for use, Carter said.

Read: Tom Cotton: Bombing Iran would take 'several days'

Read the rest here:
Carter: Military option on Iran is still on the table ...

Fiery criticism from Iran's Supreme Leader, coupled with steep demands from the upper echelon of the regime, are throwing the nuclear "deal" reached last week into doubt -- with Iran and the U.S. each claiming the agreement said different things, and neither side backing down.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has final say on all state matters, tore into the U.S. in remarks published on his official website and on his Twitter account.

Khamenei made clear he was neither endorsing nor rejecting the framework deal announced last week. But he challenged the way the U.S. was describing it -- specifically, a fact sheet put out by the White House saying sanctions would be removed only after inspectors verify Iran's compliance.

The Ayatollah, in one tweet, claimed the fact sheet was "contrary to what was agreed."

In another, he said: "I trust our negotiators, but I'm really worried as the other side is into lying & breaching promises; an example was White House fact sheet."

Ever since the preliminary deal was unveiled, Iranian officials have claimed -- in their own remarks and fact sheets -- that the agreement allows for sanctions to be lifted immediately once a final deal is reached.

On Thursday, both the Ayatollah and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani again insisted that all sanctions be removed as soon as a deal is reached, or implemented.

"We will not sign any agreement, unless all economic sanctions are totally lifted on the first day of the implementation of the deal," Rouhani said during a ceremony marking Iran's nuclear technology day, which celebrates the country's nuclear achievements.

But the U.S. was not backing down.

State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke said Thursday that the White House fact sheet -- which claimed sanctions relief was conditional -- was accurate.

Read this article:
Deal or no deal? Iran leaders blast US claims on nuke deal ...

Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Henry Kissinger and George P. Shultz make a crucial point: "Absent the linkage between nuclear and political restraint, America's traditional allies will conclude that the U.S. has traded temporary nuclear cooperation for acquiescence to Iranian hegemony." (Italics mine.)

Read MoreNuclear talks: The real test for Iran

Put another way, there could be a U.S.-Iran deal that postpones Iran's nuclear weaponization for 10 or more years. But tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that, Iran will continue to sponsor its terrorist proxies, like Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, keep proxy troops in Syria, continue its efforts to take over Iraq, further its designs on Yemen, and confront Sunni Saudi Arabia. And don't forget, the U.S. has labeled Iran's own Quds Force and Revolutionary Guard as terrorists.

Kissinger and Shultz write, "Iranian or Iranian client forces are now the pre-eminent military or political element in multiple Arab countries ... With the recent addition of Yemen as a battlefield, Tehran occupies positions along all of the Middle East's strategic waterways and encircles archrival Saudi Arabia, an American ally."

No one doubts these facts. Iran wants to dominate the Middle East. And it will not acknowledge the rights of the sovereign state of Israel. So the question is: Why is the U.S. not including political- and terrorist-restraint clauses in any Iran deal?

Read MoreUS, Iranian 'fact sheets' on nuke deal don't match

This is why economic sanctions are crucial. Western-nation sanctions are slowly but surely smashing the Iranian economy. We have effectively stopped the flow of money and oil for Iran. The Iranian budget, which dominates the state-run economy, needs $130 a barrel. Today's $50 price is an economic killer.

So why doesn't Team Obama directly link a removal of economic sanctions with a clear pullback of Iran's terrorist activities and march to Middle East dominance? That's a daily linkage one that is observable. And since we know Iran won't agree to this, why aren't President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry working to tighten sanctions on Iran rather than push through a bad nuke deal?

Make no mistake, the nanosecond sanctions are lifted, U.S. and Western investment will pour into Iran. Looser financial sanctions will put an estimated $50 billion into Iran's economy. And a number of European oil companies will jump to develop the world's fourth-largest proven oil reserve and second-biggest national-gas reserve.

Read MoreOp-ed: Economics make Iran nuclear deal unenforceable

See the original post here:
Iran must be forced to change its ways

Iran would reportedly extend talks for a finalized nuclear deal with world powers beyond the June 30 deadline if need be to satisfy the lines drawn out by the countrys supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a senior Iranian official said.

Iran will work hard to reach an agreement within the specified time of three months or even sooner, but if the deal doesnt meet the criteria the leader has introduced for a good deal, we would extend the time, said Iran Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in televised comments Friday reported by the Mehr News Agency.

The Wall Street Journal reports the suggestion underscores the wide gaps that still exist between Iran and the world powers who reached a framework deal April 2 that would limit Irans nuclear abilities and mandate international inspections. In exchange, sanctions imposed over Irans disputed nuclear program would be scaled back.

Iran has maintained throughout the years that its nuclear activities are peaceful, despite accusations from world powers.

Araqchi raised the potential for an extension in response to Khameneis speech Thursday, who has the final say in most of the countrys decisions.

Everything done so far neither guarantees an agreement in principle nor its contents, nor does it guarantee that the negotiations will continue to the end, the supreme leader said. It was Khameneis first comments on the framework deal.

Despite the agreement, Khamenei said Tehran will not allow for outside inspections of military sites, a provision that the powers are unlikely to accept.

The U.S. suspects Iran has carried out nuclear weapons research at Parchin, a military complex in the country. Under the framework deal, Fordow, a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps base, will be converted from an underground enrichment site to a research center.

Khamenei also demands that all sanctions be removed as soon as the deal is finalized. However, the U.S. insists that sanctions are gradually removed.

Click for more from The Wall Street Journal.

Read the original post:
Iran would reportedly extend nuclear deal deadline to satisfy leader's demands

Story highlights "It is meaningless to congratulate me or others" because deal not final, Ayatollah says President Hassan Rouhani: Iran will not surrender to bullying, sanctions U.S. lawmaker: Bill to ease sanctions does not stand a chance in House or Senate

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Islamic republic's supreme leader, meanwhile, told state-run media outlets he is neither in favor nor against the proposed deal because it isn't final, and he's not certain it will become binding because he has "never been optimistic about negotiations with the U.S."

Six world powers and Iran reached a preliminary deal last week that aims to limit Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for lifting economic sanctions.

The United States, however, has stressed that if a final deal is reached with Iran, the removal of any sanctions will come in phases.

But work on the agreement isn't finished.

Negotiators from Iran and the United States, China, Germany, France, Britain and Russia have until June 30 to come up with a final deal.

Khamenei said he supports the negotiators, but in several not-so-subtle shots at the United States, noted it is too soon to celebrate the proposed deal.

"Everything lies in the details," Khamenei said in a Thursday address, according to Press TV. "The other side, which is known for backpedaling on its commitments, may want to corner our country when it comes to the specifics."

What has been hashed out so far is no guarantee that the deal will become final, he said, and according to the Islamic Republic News Agency, the leader said he can't support or oppose the deal, especially when it's possible "the other disloyal party intends to limit our country."

Some have asked why Khamenei hasn't taken a position on the talks, and the reason is simple, he said, according to IRNA: "There is no need to take a position. Officials say nothing has been done yet and that nothing is binding. I am neither in favor nor against it."

View original post here:
Iran: Lift sanctions or no deal