US President Barack Obama addressed the Iranian nuclear negotiations on Saturday, brushing aside the maximalist demands made by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday as mere rhetoric for internal consumption with no real relevance for the actual negotiations. “Even a guy with the title ‘Supreme Leader’ has to be concerned about his own constituencies,” Obama said. “There may be ways of structuring a final deal that satisfy their pride, their optics, their politics, but meet our core practical objectives.” Earlier, senior Obama Administration officials made similar statements dismissing the maximalist positions of other senior Iranian officials as being largely irrelevant. Also dismissed was harsh criticism of the deal from former US Secretaries of State and current Israeli officials and growing alarm from the US Congress and others. Read More
