English subtitles for clip: File:4-6-15- White House Press Briefing.webm

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Mr. Earnest: Good
afternoon, everybody.

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So I hope everybody had
a good weekend -- the

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unofficial start of spring
-- with all the holidays,

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opening day in baseball.

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To mark that occasion
here at the White House,

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we're not just going to have
the Easter Egg Roll in the

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South Lawn, we're actually
going to have a briefing

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today that includes not
just one Earnest, but two.

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As you can see, I'm joined
by the Secretary of Energy,

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Ernest Moniz.

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The Press: No "A."

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Mr. Earnest: No "A."

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(laughter)

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No "A."

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We'll work out those
differences after

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the briefing.

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Obviously, Secretary
Moniz was instrumental in

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negotiating the agreement
with the Iranians in

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Switzerland over the last
couple of months now,

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so he's here to talk to
you about some of the

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technological underpinnings
of these discussions.

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So he'll do a little
thing at the top,

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and then he'll stay for
a little bit to take

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your questions.

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He's running off to a
speech this afternoon.

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But we'll start with that.

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Mr. Secretary.

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Secretary Moniz:
Thank you, Josh.

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So as Josh said, I'll try
to work through what are

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sometimes called the
technical dimensions of the

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agreement in a broad way,
and then be happy to

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take questions.

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So, first of all, we say
that there are four pathways

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to a bomb in Iran.

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One is a plutonium pathway
through a research reactor,

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a heavy water reactor.

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I'll come back to these.

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Second, there are two
pathways to a uranium bomb;

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that involves the facilities
at Natanz and at Fordow.

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And the fourth pathway
is covert activities.

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So let me just walk through
those four and what we have

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nailed down in the
understanding for the

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final agreement.

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Let me start with plutonium.

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In the plutonium pathway,
the Iranians will retain a

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research reactor
using heavy water.

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The following
characteristics, however,

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are critical.

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Number one, it will
be redesigned to have

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substantially less
plutonium production;

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it will not be
weapons-grade plutonium.

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However, we have an
agreement that all of the

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spent fuel -- that is the
fuel that contains the

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plutonium -- will be sent
out of the country for the

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entire lifetime
of the reactor.

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In other words, it will
produce less plutonium and

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it won't stay in
the country anyway.

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Secondly, with regard to the
plutonium produced by any

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other reactor, like
Bushehr, there will be no

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re-processing to
extract plutonium;

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no re-processing R&D; no
other heavy water reactor

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for at least 15 years; and
any excess heavy water will

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be sold on the
international market.

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This is lockdown of
the plutonium pathway.

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Let me turn to the
uranium pathways,

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which involve enrichment.

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There's been a lot said
about they will continue to

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enrich with 5,000
centrifuges;

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this is correct.

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But let me put
that in context.

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We're starting with
19,000 -- number one.

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Number two, they will be, in
this first 10-year period,

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allowed to use only their
first-generation centrifuge

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for that.

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Third, in terms of our
key objective of having a

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so-called breakout period
of at least one year,

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what you really need is
three numbers together.

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You need the number
of centrifuges.

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You need the stockpile
of enriched uranium;

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that's going to be
reduced from 10,

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000 kilograms to
300 kilograms.

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And it will be enriched
only less than 3.7 percent.

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Those three numbers come
together and say breakout

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period of at least a year.

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R&D -- there will be no R&D
in the first 10 years at the

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scale you need to deploy
a machine for any advanced

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centrifuge model.

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And that is despite the
fact that today they are

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operating for two models --
such a full-scale cascade,

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is what it's called.

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That's going to be torn down
and put into storage under

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IAEA monitoring and seal.

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Then there is the
facility at Fordow;

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that's the one that's
put into a mountain.

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Nearly two-thirds of
that will be immediately

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disassembled, stripped
down -- centrifuges

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and infrastructure.

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About just over 10 percent
there will be some spinning.

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However, no enrichment,
no enrichment R&D;

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no fissile material,
no uranium,

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is even allowed
in the facility,

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with continuous
monitoring from the IAEA;

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and a transition of that
facility over time to

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basically a physics research
laboratory and medical

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isotope laboratory.

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Fourth pathway -- covert.

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Actually, the other
pathways, as well,

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depend upon an unprecedented
access and transparency for

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the IAEA.

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It starts with the
additional protocol.

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For those of you who
don't know what that is,

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it's an add-on to the
standard safeguards

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agreements, which will
provide access to undeclared

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facilities as well as
declared facilities.

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There will be insight, eyes
and ears -- eyes mainly,

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maybe some ears -- on the
full supply chain -- this is

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unprecedented -- going back
to the Iranian mines all the

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way through to the
final facilities.

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And, by the way, that
insight on the early parts

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of the supply chain is
a 25-year commitment,

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not a 10 or a
15-year commitment.

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So we think that, again, the
access and transparencies is

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unprecedented, and the
additional protocol is an

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example of a forever
agreement in what we

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have negotiated.

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And so, finally, just to say
that -- I've already said it

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in effect, but I want to say
this is not an agreement for

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10 years, or 15
years, or 20 years;

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it is a long-term agreement
with a whole set of phases.

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And if Iran earns over
this time period trust and

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confidence in their peaceful
objectives, well, then,

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over time, the constraints
will, in phases, ease up,

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but never get lower than the
additional protocol and all

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of the access
that it provides.

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So that's the way
we think about it.

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It's not a
fixed-year agreement;

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it's a forever agreement,
in a certain sense,

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with different stages.

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And with that, I'd be
happy to open it up.

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Mr. Earnest: Mr.
Secretary, thank you.

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Chris, do you want to start?

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The Press: Thank you
very much for doing this.

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People have been looking at
what the White House has put

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out both in writing and in
statements made by various

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members of the
administration,

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including the President, and
what's being said in Iran as

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being very different.

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Is the U.S.

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and Iran on a very different
page even in terms of this

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interim agreement?

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Secretary Moniz:
No, we're not.

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We all recognize that --
we emphasize very strongly,

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we have to talk about
the same agreement.

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We understand emphases
may be different.

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And so let me give
you an example.

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They emphasize,
well, we have

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5, 000 centrifuges spinning;
this is true and we

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acknowledge that.

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But we also say they're
first generation;

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they must be taken together
with this extraordinary

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limitation on
their stockpile.

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They fail to mention that,
or the 3-plus

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percent enrichment.

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And it's those numbers
together that say we have a

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one-year breakout time.

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So it's not so much
inconsistent as it,

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as I would say, is
emphasizing only certain

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parts of the agreement.

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Mr. Earnest: Ed, go ahead.

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The Press: Mr. Secretary,
you said that Fordow will be

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stripped down, but the
President seemed to promise

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the American people
something much different in

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December of 2013,
when he said,

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"We know that they don't
need to have an underground,

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fortified facility like
Fordow in order to have a

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peaceful nuclear program."

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He wasn't talking about
stripping it down.

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He was saying either wiping
it out or shutting it down

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altogether.

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What changed?

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It seemed like you
moved the goalpost here.

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Secretary Moniz:
Well, to me,

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the key is and our objective
was to make sure it was not

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a breakout pathway.

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It is not.

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There is even no fissile
material allowed into

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that facility.

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It is not an
enrichment facility.

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So it is closed down as
an enrichment facility.

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The Press: It's remaining
open, though, isn't it?

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You said it's open, but it's
-- Secretary Moniz: As I

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said, it will be
transitioning over time to a

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research facility involving
international collaboration.

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And, in fact, those
international collaborators

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will, in fact, add
additional transparency.

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So I'll give you an example
of two projects being

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discussed both with an
international partner.

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One is on the
stable isotopes,

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as I mentioned -- molybdenum
for medical treatments;

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another is to bring in an
electronic accelerator for

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various experimental
purposes -- materials,

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medical research, et cetera.

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So over time, as those
collaborations build up,

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that's what the
facility will become.

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Mr. Earnest: Josh.

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The Press: Thank
you, Secretary.

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What if Iran cheats?

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The President, in an
interview over the weekend,

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mentioned that there would
be some type of mechanism

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where if you suspect that
there's something going on

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that's fishy, that you
can request an inspection.

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And if Iran does
not agree to that,

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that the international
community has this mechanism

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to ensure that.

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What is that mechanism?

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And how much of the one-year
breakout time could

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that eat up?

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Secretary Moniz:
First of all,

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the answer to the last
part is a very short time

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compared to the year.

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And at the end of that time,
in contrast to some current

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arrangements around the
world where, frankly,

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things can get
-- shall we say,

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cans can get kicked
down a very long road,

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this has a definite ending,
way inside the year.

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And if access is
denied at that point,

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that is a breach
of the agreement,

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and with all the
consequences that come with

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that, including
snap-back of sanctions,

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resort to diplomatic
or other tools.

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No options for the United
States or others is taken

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off the table.

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The Press: So is this
like a one-strike deal?

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One time we catch Iran doing
something they said they

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wouldn't do in
the agreement,

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the whole thing is off
and we ramp up sanctions?

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Secretary Moniz: I think
clearly one will see how

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that plays out in
terms of -- obviously,

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judgment has to be used
in terms of severity.

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Without getting into
details, I'll just say that,

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for example, in the
current agreement,

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everyone is saying that
Iran has been studious in

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honoring the
current agreement.

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Actually, I don't know
if I can say this,

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but -- I won't get into
specifics -- there was one

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time in which something was
done that was not in

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the agreement.

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It was rapidly resolved as
a mistake of somebody who

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00:11:28,988 --> 00:11:30,990
didn't know what they
were doing wasn't there,

250
00:11:30,990 --> 00:11:32,024
shut down immediately.

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00:11:32,024 --> 00:11:34,293
So, so far in the
interim agreement,

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00:11:34,293 --> 00:11:35,628
they've been very good.

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We will see if that persists
now for the next 10, 15,

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00:11:38,097 --> 00:11:39,497
20 years.

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00:11:39,498 --> 00:11:40,599
Mr. Earnest: Major.

256
00:11:40,599 --> 00:11:44,370
The Press: Mr. Secretary,
talking about the covert

257
00:11:44,370 --> 00:11:48,941
path, what kind of things
need to still be negotiated

258
00:11:48,941 --> 00:11:53,112
to increase Western and
American confidence that

259
00:11:53,112 --> 00:11:56,247
covert actions, either at
facilities you've identified

260
00:11:56,248 --> 00:11:58,684
or places not
yet identified,

261
00:11:58,684 --> 00:12:00,151
can be locked down?

262
00:12:00,152 --> 00:12:03,989
That is to say you can have
a level of confidence that

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00:12:03,989 --> 00:12:07,526
on the covert side things
will not create a pathway to

264
00:12:07,526 --> 00:12:09,295
a nuclear weapon.

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00:12:09,295 --> 00:12:11,796
And secondly, when you were
answering Josh's question on

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00:12:11,797 --> 00:12:13,833
sanctions, do we have an
agreement with the United

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00:12:13,833 --> 00:12:16,635
Nations countries, meaning
our partners, P5+1,

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00:12:16,635 --> 00:12:19,538
to snap back the sanctions,
or just us snapping back the

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00:12:19,538 --> 00:12:22,808
sanctions if there is a
disagreement or a violation?

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00:12:22,808 --> 00:12:23,676
Secretary Moniz:
No, first of all,

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00:12:23,676 --> 00:12:26,145
I should say even
more broadly,

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00:12:26,145 --> 00:12:29,180
I think one of the
remarkable outcomes of these

273
00:12:29,181 --> 00:12:31,350
last weeks -- I've been
involved for, roughly,

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six weeks.

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One of the remarkable
outcomes is, in fact,

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00:12:34,987 --> 00:12:38,524
the level of coherence
among the P5+1.

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00:12:38,524 --> 00:12:42,628
That was actually quite
rewarding, I would say.

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00:12:42,628 --> 00:12:48,634
In terms of the snap-back
of the sanctions,

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00:12:48,634 --> 00:12:51,203
there are certainly issues
remaining to be negotiated

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00:12:51,203 --> 00:12:55,841
in terms of specific
timing and milestones.

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00:12:55,841 --> 00:12:58,043
However, the key
elements are all decided.

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00:12:58,043 --> 00:13:01,480
And so, for example, in
terms of snap-back of

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00:13:01,480 --> 00:13:04,049
sanctions, let's just
say, for example,

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00:13:04,049 --> 00:13:07,720
no one country could block
the snap-back of sanctions.

285
00:13:07,720 --> 00:13:10,723
The Press: No one has
veto power within

286
00:13:10,723 --> 00:13:11,991
the conversation?

287
00:13:11,991 --> 00:13:12,790
Secretary Moniz: Correct.

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00:13:12,791 --> 00:13:14,260
The Press: So if
a majority agree,

289
00:13:14,260 --> 00:13:15,427
then they -- Secretary Moniz: I'm not going to go

290
00:13:15,427 --> 00:13:17,663
to the majority, et cetera,
but that will be evolving

291
00:13:17,663 --> 00:13:21,367
and coming out in time
as to what the precise

292
00:13:21,367 --> 00:13:22,935
arrangements are.

293
00:13:22,935 --> 00:13:25,204
But these are very, very
good in terms of our

294
00:13:25,204 --> 00:13:28,806
ability; out ability, for
example, to snap back,

295
00:13:28,807 --> 00:13:31,410
if called upon to do
so, will be there.

296
00:13:31,410 --> 00:13:33,545
The Press: And the access
on the covert side that you

297
00:13:33,546 --> 00:13:35,514
have yet to negotiate the
kind of things you need to

298
00:13:35,514 --> 00:13:39,552
achieve between now and July
1st to -- Secretary Moniz:

299
00:13:39,552 --> 00:13:44,323
Those are largely in place
in terms of the access,

300
00:13:44,323 --> 00:13:48,060
as I mentioned, including
unprecedented access in

301
00:13:48,060 --> 00:13:50,061
terms of the entire
supply chain.

302
00:13:50,062 --> 00:13:51,830
I mentioned uranium mines.

303
00:13:51,830 --> 00:13:55,401
There's also continuous
surveillance of centrifuge

304
00:13:55,401 --> 00:13:57,036
manufacturing plants.

305
00:13:57,036 --> 00:14:00,939
So it is really quite
a strong arrangement.

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00:14:00,940 --> 00:14:02,308
Mr. Earnest: Jim.

307
00:14:02,308 --> 00:14:03,209
The Press: Two
quick questions.

308
00:14:03,209 --> 00:14:06,444
You said that -- which I
don't really understand --

309
00:14:06,445 --> 00:14:08,948
they're going to continue
to produce plutonium,

310
00:14:08,948 --> 00:14:11,150
small amounts of it, and
they'll send it out of

311
00:14:11,150 --> 00:14:12,151
the country.

312
00:14:12,151 --> 00:14:13,519
Why produce it at all if
you're going to send it out

313
00:14:13,519 --> 00:14:14,453
of the country?

314
00:14:14,453 --> 00:14:17,689
Secretary Moniz:
Because, I should add,

315
00:14:17,690 --> 00:14:19,692
that any nuclear reactor
by its nature

316
00:14:19,692 --> 00:14:20,693
produces plutonium.

317
00:14:20,693 --> 00:14:22,694
Our power reactors in
the United States produce

318
00:14:22,695 --> 00:14:24,296
plutonium as they operate.

319
00:14:24,296 --> 00:14:26,532
That's unavoidable, okay?

320
00:14:26,532 --> 00:14:32,738
The question is whether
one optimizes for producing

321
00:14:32,738 --> 00:14:35,040
plutonium, especially
a weapons-grade.

322
00:14:35,040 --> 00:14:38,209
And I'm saying this
redesigned reactor will not

323
00:14:38,210 --> 00:14:42,214
do that, and it will
produce very small amounts.

324
00:14:42,214 --> 00:14:45,417
You cannot avoid
it at some level,

325
00:14:45,417 --> 00:14:47,419
but it will produce small
amounts and it will go out

326
00:14:47,419 --> 00:14:48,420
of the country anyway.

327
00:14:48,420 --> 00:14:52,724
The Press: After your
difficult negotiations,

328
00:14:52,725 --> 00:14:55,961
are you convinced that
the Iranians are, in fact,

329
00:14:55,961 --> 00:15:00,833
content to only produce
peaceful nuclear power,

330
00:15:00,833 --> 00:15:03,669
that this is their
goal as they say it is?

331
00:15:03,669 --> 00:15:07,339
Do you, as one of the
chief negotiators,

332
00:15:07,339 --> 00:15:09,742
trust their motives?

333
00:15:09,742 --> 00:15:11,209
Secretary Moniz: This
is not built upon trust.

334
00:15:11,210 --> 00:15:16,949
This is built upon hardnosed
requirements in terms of

335
00:15:16,949 --> 00:15:21,219
limitations on what they do
at various timescales and on

336
00:15:21,220 --> 00:15:22,454
the access and transparency.

337
00:15:22,454 --> 00:15:26,090
The Press: But are they
trying to at any time put in

338
00:15:26,091 --> 00:15:31,030
measures that would allow
them to continue to produce

339
00:15:31,030 --> 00:15:32,464
weapons-grade uranium?

340
00:15:32,464 --> 00:15:37,536
Do you see an effort on
their part to somehow save

341
00:15:37,536 --> 00:15:39,438
a pathway?

342
00:15:39,438 --> 00:15:41,407
Secretary Moniz: First of
all, I should reemphasize,

343
00:15:41,407 --> 00:15:43,776
they have not produced
weapons-grade uranium.

344
00:15:43,776 --> 00:15:47,012
They did produce earlier
up to 20 percent,

345
00:15:47,012 --> 00:15:50,082
which is still considered
low -- it's the limit of

346
00:15:50,082 --> 00:15:51,083
low-enriched uranium.

347
00:15:51,083 --> 00:15:55,654
But I would say the
answer to that is, no.

348
00:15:55,654 --> 00:16:00,426
Clearly, the negotiation was
tough in terms of specific

349
00:16:00,426 --> 00:16:03,128
parameters, but we just held
to it -- sorry -- like the

350
00:16:03,128 --> 00:16:06,532
one-year breakout
period is an absolute,

351
00:16:06,532 --> 00:16:08,534
unshakeable requirement.

352
00:16:08,534 --> 00:16:10,536
We can shift around
a little bit,

353
00:16:10,536 --> 00:16:13,738
stockpile number of uranium
and number of centrifuges.

354
00:16:13,739 --> 00:16:16,608
But that was the
nature of it.

355
00:16:16,608 --> 00:16:20,512
The Press: Secretary
Moniz, at some point,

356
00:16:20,512 --> 00:16:22,414
will you or this
administration insist that

357
00:16:22,414 --> 00:16:24,983
the Iranians sign
on to this deal,

358
00:16:24,983 --> 00:16:28,686
put their signatures
on documents to make

359
00:16:28,687 --> 00:16:30,689
commitments beyond
just their words?

360
00:16:30,689 --> 00:16:32,690
Secretary Moniz: So
at the end of June,

361
00:16:32,691 --> 00:16:36,195
the idea is to have
a formal agreement.

362
00:16:36,195 --> 00:16:38,564
That's what the next
90 days will do.

363
00:16:38,564 --> 00:16:40,199
The Press: So at
the end of this,

364
00:16:40,199 --> 00:16:43,901
they'll be held to this and
there's not going to be any

365
00:16:43,902 --> 00:16:45,904
wiggle room, there's not
going to be any subject

366
00:16:45,904 --> 00:16:46,905
to interpretation?

367
00:16:46,905 --> 00:16:50,876
It seems right now a
lot is seemingly up to

368
00:16:50,876 --> 00:16:53,512
interpretation whether
you're in Washington or

369
00:16:53,512 --> 00:16:54,512
in Tehran.

370
00:16:54,513 --> 00:16:56,515
Secretary Moniz: Well, no,
I disagree with that in the

371
00:16:56,515 --> 00:16:58,484
sense -- in fact, going back
to the very first question

372
00:16:58,484 --> 00:17:03,889
-- that there's no doubt
that right now there's a

373
00:17:03,889 --> 00:17:07,925
different narrative, but
not in conflict with what's

374
00:17:07,925 --> 00:17:09,427
written down,
just selective.

375
00:17:09,428 --> 00:17:15,234
However, if you look at our
parameter sheet -- I don't

376
00:17:15,233 --> 00:17:18,369
know if you have seen that,
it's four pages of bullets.

377
00:17:18,369 --> 00:17:21,873
And what is the reaction
that we are receiving,

378
00:17:21,874 --> 00:17:23,876
and I think quite
appropriately,

379
00:17:23,876 --> 00:17:25,877
is a certain level
of amazement at

380
00:17:25,877 --> 00:17:26,878
the specificity.

381
00:17:26,878 --> 00:17:30,815
We got numbers, and those
have got to go into

382
00:17:30,816 --> 00:17:32,117
the agreement.

383
00:17:32,117 --> 00:17:35,354
Very specific and
comprehensive.

384
00:17:35,354 --> 00:17:36,855
Mr. Earnest: Thank
you, Mr. Secretary.

385
00:17:36,855 --> 00:17:44,596
Secretary Moniz:
Thank you, all.

386
00:17:46,565 --> 00:17:47,866
Mr. Earnest: All right.

387
00:17:47,866 --> 00:17:49,701
Thanks, everybody.

388
00:17:49,701 --> 00:17:50,569
I guess we now are back
to our regularly scheduled

389
00:17:50,569 --> 00:17:51,736
program here.

390
00:17:51,737 --> 00:17:52,738
So, Josh, I'll let
you get us started.

391
00:17:52,738 --> 00:17:53,672
The Press: Thanks, Josh.

392
00:17:53,672 --> 00:17:55,607
Sticking with the theme
of the day for a minute,

393
00:17:55,607 --> 00:17:57,976
I wanted to ask you about
Congress's involvement.

394
00:17:57,976 --> 00:18:01,079
The White House has made
clear that you're open to

395
00:18:01,079 --> 00:18:04,216
having Congress have some
way to express their views

396
00:18:04,216 --> 00:18:05,350
about this.

397
00:18:05,350 --> 00:18:08,520
But the specific proposals
put forward by a lot of

398
00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:12,024
members of Congress
about voting on a deal,

399
00:18:12,024 --> 00:18:14,760
that kind of thing, the
President has rejected.

400
00:18:14,760 --> 00:18:18,597
So I'm wondering if you
could give us an example of

401
00:18:18,597 --> 00:18:22,434
a way that Congress could
have a role beyond just

402
00:18:22,434 --> 00:18:24,703
listening to briefings
from you all,

403
00:18:24,703 --> 00:18:26,939
but to actually express
whether or not this is

404
00:18:26,939 --> 00:18:30,209
something that they approve
of or not that the White

405
00:18:30,209 --> 00:18:32,144
House would accept.

406
00:18:32,144 --> 00:18:33,445
Mr. Earnest: Well, Josh,
I don't want to get into a

407
00:18:33,445 --> 00:18:39,685
position of -- well, let
me actually start by this.

408
00:18:39,685 --> 00:18:41,653
The White House does
take very seriously,

409
00:18:41,653 --> 00:18:43,655
and across the
administration we take very

410
00:18:43,655 --> 00:18:45,657
seriously the responsibility
that we have to engage with

411
00:18:45,657 --> 00:18:47,658
Congress throughout
this process.

412
00:18:47,659 --> 00:18:49,194
And that's what
we have done.

413
00:18:49,194 --> 00:18:52,498
That started years ago
when Congress passed tough

414
00:18:52,498 --> 00:18:54,833
sanctions against Iran
that were instrumental to

415
00:18:54,833 --> 00:18:59,037
building an international
coalition that put enormous

416
00:18:59,037 --> 00:19:01,039
pressure on the
Iranian economy.

417
00:19:01,039 --> 00:19:04,810
That is what we believe led
to Iran sitting down at the

418
00:19:04,810 --> 00:19:06,912
negotiating table and
to actually engaging in

419
00:19:06,912 --> 00:19:10,148
conversations that
were constructive.

420
00:19:10,148 --> 00:19:12,149
Throughout that process,
we've kept Congress in the

421
00:19:12,150 --> 00:19:13,418
loop on those negotiations.

422
00:19:13,418 --> 00:19:17,188
And just in the last three
or four days since an

423
00:19:17,189 --> 00:19:19,658
agreement was announced,
there have been a

424
00:19:19,658 --> 00:19:21,994
substantial number of
telephone conversations,

425
00:19:21,994 --> 00:19:25,163
starting from the President
on down -- other senior

426
00:19:25,163 --> 00:19:27,165
members of the President's
national security team,

427
00:19:27,165 --> 00:19:29,301
the Secretary of State, I
believe Secretary Moniz even

428
00:19:29,301 --> 00:19:31,736
made some telephone
calls, the Vice President,

429
00:19:31,737 --> 00:19:32,971
the White House
Chief of Staff,

430
00:19:32,971 --> 00:19:35,374
others who have made calls
to members of Congress to

431
00:19:35,374 --> 00:19:38,644
make sure that they actually
understand the details of

432
00:19:38,644 --> 00:19:40,245
what's been agreed to.

433
00:19:40,245 --> 00:19:41,746
That's the first thing.

434
00:19:41,747 --> 00:19:46,318
The second thing is that
we continue to believe that

435
00:19:46,318 --> 00:19:50,222
while Congress,
certainly understandably,

436
00:19:50,222 --> 00:19:53,091
should understand what
we're working on here,

437
00:19:53,091 --> 00:19:54,860
that it's the responsibility
of the President of the

438
00:19:54,860 --> 00:19:57,629
United States -- any
President of the United

439
00:19:57,629 --> 00:19:59,630
States -- to conduct the
foreign policy of the United

440
00:19:59,631 --> 00:20:00,632
States of America.

441
00:20:00,632 --> 00:20:02,734
This is something that our
Founding Fathers envisioned.

442
00:20:02,734 --> 00:20:04,703
This has been true of
Democratic and Republican

443
00:20:04,703 --> 00:20:06,872
Presidents back
through history.

444
00:20:06,872 --> 00:20:12,945
And this kind of effort to
reach a diplomatic agreement

445
00:20:12,945 --> 00:20:16,148
about preventing Iran from
obtaining a nuclear weapon

446
00:20:16,148 --> 00:20:18,350
is consistent
with that history.

447
00:20:18,350 --> 00:20:25,724
Now, the third thing is that
Congress will at some point

448
00:20:25,724 --> 00:20:29,727
have to vote to remove the
sanctions that they

449
00:20:29,728 --> 00:20:30,729
put in place.

450
00:20:30,729 --> 00:20:32,130
That is not something that
the President of the United

451
00:20:32,130 --> 00:20:35,133
States can do unilaterally.

452
00:20:35,133 --> 00:20:37,970
But what Congress envisioned
in their legislation -- they

453
00:20:37,970 --> 00:20:42,040
wrote into the bill,
into the sanctions bill,

454
00:20:42,040 --> 00:20:45,344
waiver authority for the
President of the United

455
00:20:45,344 --> 00:20:49,047
States to relax some aspects
of the sanctions in pursuit

456
00:20:49,047 --> 00:20:50,649
of a diplomatic agreement.

457
00:20:50,649 --> 00:20:56,655
So, in effect, Josh, what
we're planning to do is to

458
00:20:59,691 --> 00:21:03,695
implement this agreement
consistent with exactly the

459
00:21:03,695 --> 00:21:05,731
way Congress described.

460
00:21:05,731 --> 00:21:08,000
Now, there are some in
Congress who, you point out,

461
00:21:08,000 --> 00:21:10,369
are now suggesting that they
have changed their mind and

462
00:21:10,369 --> 00:21:13,705
they would rather weigh
in on this agreement in a

463
00:21:13,705 --> 00:21:14,706
different way.

464
00:21:14,706 --> 00:21:19,343
But because of the
longstanding precedent of

465
00:21:19,344 --> 00:21:22,514
the President of the United
States being the chief

466
00:21:22,514 --> 00:21:26,150
negotiator for
the United States,

467
00:21:26,151 --> 00:21:30,389
and the fact that we know
a lot of Republicans in

468
00:21:30,389 --> 00:21:33,725
Congress are only using
a vote like that -- or

469
00:21:33,725 --> 00:21:36,093
proposing a vote like this,
because they oppose the deal

470
00:21:36,094 --> 00:21:37,095
in the first place.

471
00:21:37,095 --> 00:21:39,097
The Press: But, Josh,
it's not just Republicans.

472
00:21:39,097 --> 00:21:40,831
I mean, it's quite a few
prominent Democrats on

473
00:21:40,832 --> 00:21:42,100
foreign policy.

474
00:21:42,100 --> 00:21:44,101
It sounds like basically
what you're saying is --

475
00:21:44,102 --> 00:21:45,203
Mr. Earnest:
But to be clear,

476
00:21:45,203 --> 00:21:47,205
what I was saying about
Republicans -- it's

477
00:21:47,205 --> 00:21:49,206
Republicans who have been
most forceful in denouncing

478
00:21:49,207 --> 00:21:52,310
this agreement, and those
are the people that I'm

479
00:21:52,310 --> 00:21:54,312
referring to when I say that
they're trying to use this

480
00:21:54,312 --> 00:21:56,814
vote as cover to just try
to undermine the agreement.

481
00:21:56,815 --> 00:21:58,784
You're right that there are
other Democrats who have

482
00:21:58,784 --> 00:22:00,786
spoken up, saying that
Congress should have the

483
00:22:00,786 --> 00:22:02,788
opportunity to weigh
in on the deal.

484
00:22:02,788 --> 00:22:03,789
And what we have
said is, look,

485
00:22:03,789 --> 00:22:05,424
it is clearly within the
purview of the President of

486
00:22:05,424 --> 00:22:08,593
the United States to
conduct foreign policy,

487
00:22:08,593 --> 00:22:10,595
and we do believe that
Congress should play their

488
00:22:10,595 --> 00:22:12,597
rightful role in terms of
ultimately deciding whether

489
00:22:12,597 --> 00:22:14,599
or not the sanctions that
Congress passed into law

490
00:22:14,599 --> 00:22:15,600
should be removed.

491
00:22:15,600 --> 00:22:17,601
The Press: So it sounds
like what you're saying is

492
00:22:17,602 --> 00:22:20,839
Congress's role in the
meantime is to be briefed

493
00:22:20,839 --> 00:22:22,640
and kept up to
date about this.

494
00:22:22,641 --> 00:22:24,176
And eventually
-- Mr. Earnest: A

495
00:22:24,176 --> 00:22:26,178
responsibility that
we take seriously.

496
00:22:26,178 --> 00:22:27,179
The Press: Right.

497
00:22:27,179 --> 00:22:29,181
And eventually to vote to
remove sanctions if things

498
00:22:29,181 --> 00:22:30,182
go according to plan.

499
00:22:30,182 --> 00:22:32,184
And if they decide they
don't want to remove the

500
00:22:32,184 --> 00:22:34,186
sanctions, it actually
doesn't matter because the

501
00:22:34,186 --> 00:22:36,154
President already has
authority under the existing

502
00:22:36,154 --> 00:22:38,156
sanctions to waive
them by himself.

503
00:22:38,156 --> 00:22:40,759
I mean, is that an accurate
synopsis of the role that

504
00:22:40,759 --> 00:22:42,260
you see for Congress?

505
00:22:42,260 --> 00:22:44,563
Mr. Earnest: Well, I woul
just tailor the last part of

506
00:22:44,563 --> 00:22:46,832
what you said, because this
is important as well -- that

507
00:22:46,832 --> 00:22:52,337
we would envision a scenario
where after Iran has already

508
00:22:52,337 --> 00:22:55,774
demonstrated sustained
compliance over a long

509
00:22:55,774 --> 00:22:59,745
period of time, then
we would contemplate a

510
00:22:59,745 --> 00:23:02,514
situation where we would
dismantle the sanctions

511
00:23:02,514 --> 00:23:04,649
architecture that did apply
so much pressure to the

512
00:23:04,649 --> 00:23:05,649
Iranian economy.

513
00:23:05,650 --> 00:23:10,255
And that is something that
only Congress could do.

514
00:23:10,255 --> 00:23:12,224
I don't want to speak
for the Iranian regime,

515
00:23:12,224 --> 00:23:14,226
but presumably that's
something that they would

516
00:23:14,226 --> 00:23:15,227
like to see.

517
00:23:15,227 --> 00:23:17,229
They wouldn't just
want to see a waiver;

518
00:23:17,229 --> 00:23:19,231
they'd actually like to see
that sanctions architecture

519
00:23:19,231 --> 00:23:21,933
dismantled -- and I think
for understandable reasons

520
00:23:21,933 --> 00:23:25,403
-- frankly, because they
know that as long as that

521
00:23:25,403 --> 00:23:27,405
sanctions architecture
is in place,

522
00:23:27,405 --> 00:23:29,374
the President with
a stroke of a pen,

523
00:23:29,374 --> 00:23:31,376
at a moment's notice, could
snap those sanctions back

524
00:23:31,376 --> 00:23:32,377
into place.

525
00:23:32,377 --> 00:23:36,380
And that is part of
what Congress originally

526
00:23:36,381 --> 00:23:38,717
envisioned when they passed
sanctions legislation.

527
00:23:38,717 --> 00:23:41,219
It's also part of what this
administration envisions for

528
00:23:41,219 --> 00:23:43,588
holding Iran to account.

529
00:23:43,588 --> 00:23:46,725
Because we have said
that if we detect,

530
00:23:46,725 --> 00:23:52,197
based on the intrusive
inspections plan that we

531
00:23:52,197 --> 00:23:54,399
have for Iran's nuclear
program -- if we detect that

532
00:23:54,399 --> 00:23:56,534
they are deviating
from the plan,

533
00:23:56,535 --> 00:23:58,870
then we can at a moment's
notice snap those sanctions

534
00:23:58,870 --> 00:23:59,870
back into place.

535
00:23:59,871 --> 00:24:01,173
The Press: And
one other topic.

536
00:24:01,173 --> 00:24:05,477
As you probably saw, Rolling
Stone has retracted the

537
00:24:05,477 --> 00:24:09,014
story that they did about
some rape allegations at the

538
00:24:09,014 --> 00:24:10,615
University of Virginia.

539
00:24:10,615 --> 00:24:14,886
I'm wondering if the
President is concerned that

540
00:24:14,886 --> 00:24:17,755
the revelation that that
story really didn't hold up

541
00:24:17,756 --> 00:24:21,860
to scrutiny could discourage
other victims of sexual

542
00:24:21,860 --> 00:24:24,129
assault from coming
forward with their stories.

543
00:24:24,129 --> 00:24:26,164
Mr. Earnest: Well, that
certainly is a concern that

544
00:24:26,164 --> 00:24:28,867
has been expressed by a
large number of advocates

545
00:24:28,867 --> 00:24:30,068
about this story.

546
00:24:30,068 --> 00:24:32,070
What I can tell you is that
this is an issue that the

547
00:24:32,070 --> 00:24:34,339
White House has been focused
on long before anybody had

548
00:24:34,339 --> 00:24:36,341
heard of this
Rolling Stone story.

549
00:24:36,341 --> 00:24:37,475
You'll recall,
back in April,

550
00:24:37,475 --> 00:24:39,444
the President and the
Vice President together

551
00:24:39,444 --> 00:24:42,647
established a White House
task force to combat sexual

552
00:24:42,647 --> 00:24:44,649
assault, particularly
with the focus on

553
00:24:44,649 --> 00:24:46,650
college campuses.

554
00:24:47,886 --> 00:24:50,956
And that task force released
a set of recommendations

555
00:24:50,956 --> 00:24:54,426
that colleges -- I'm
sorry -- released a set of

556
00:24:54,426 --> 00:24:56,895
recommendations about how
the federal government could

557
00:24:56,895 --> 00:24:59,264
actually toughen the
sanctions that we put in

558
00:24:59,264 --> 00:25:04,269
place to ensure that schools
are doing everything that

559
00:25:04,269 --> 00:25:07,739
they can to confront
this situation seriously.

560
00:25:07,739 --> 00:25:10,008
Now, the other thing that
has also happened is that

561
00:25:10,008 --> 00:25:12,477
the administration has put
forward a public-private

562
00:25:12,477 --> 00:25:14,880
partnership called
"It's on Us,

563
00:25:14,880 --> 00:25:18,783
" which sort of talks about
how it's the responsibility

564
00:25:18,783 --> 00:25:21,086
of everybody in the
community to fight sexual

565
00:25:21,086 --> 00:25:24,022
assault and to stand up and
prevent it before it occurs.

566
00:25:24,022 --> 00:25:27,391
So there's a lot of work
that has gone into this

567
00:25:27,392 --> 00:25:30,262
particular issue by
the administration,

568
00:25:30,262 --> 00:25:33,999
and that important work
is going to continue.

569
00:25:33,999 --> 00:25:35,700
Julia.

570
00:25:35,700 --> 00:25:37,435
The Press: Thanks.

571
00:25:37,435 --> 00:25:40,705
Again, following up
on Iran -- in Tehran,

572
00:25:40,705 --> 00:25:42,741
they're describing the way
those sanctions will be

573
00:25:42,741 --> 00:25:45,844
lifted as an
immediate timeline,

574
00:25:45,844 --> 00:25:48,680
whereas what we're hearing
here is that there's going

575
00:25:48,680 --> 00:25:52,717
to have to be some results
before sanctions are lifted.

576
00:25:52,717 --> 00:25:54,719
Can you explain the
discrepancy between

577
00:25:54,719 --> 00:25:55,720
those timelines?

578
00:25:55,720 --> 00:25:57,722
And is the President
concerned about that

579
00:25:57,722 --> 00:26:00,692
difference and whether
or not there will be an

580
00:26:00,692 --> 00:26:05,063
agreement before
the end of June?

581
00:26:05,063 --> 00:26:09,067
Mr. Earnest: Well, Julia,
this issue that you have

582
00:26:09,067 --> 00:26:13,805
highlighted is one of those
that still needs to

583
00:26:13,805 --> 00:26:15,307
be negotiated.

584
00:26:15,307 --> 00:26:19,311
There are still details
about the phase-out,

585
00:26:19,311 --> 00:26:22,746
if you will, of the
sanctions that have not yet

586
00:26:22,747 --> 00:26:23,949
been agreed to.

587
00:26:23,949 --> 00:26:28,753
And it is the strong view of
the administration that it

588
00:26:28,753 --> 00:26:30,754
would not be wise, and it
would not be in the interest

589
00:26:30,755 --> 00:26:32,190
of the international
community,

590
00:26:32,190 --> 00:26:35,126
to simply take away
sanctions -- take away all

591
00:26:35,126 --> 00:26:37,796
of the sanctions on day one.

592
00:26:37,796 --> 00:26:41,800
It is our view that,
based on Iran's history,

593
00:26:41,800 --> 00:26:46,370
that it would be most
conducive to the success of

594
00:26:46,371 --> 00:26:49,207
the agreement for Iran
to continue to have an

595
00:26:49,207 --> 00:26:52,110
incentive for complying
with the agreement.

596
00:26:52,110 --> 00:26:54,713
And that is why we believe
that this sort of phased

597
00:26:54,713 --> 00:26:59,017
approach is the best one,
and it certainly is one that

598
00:26:59,017 --> 00:27:00,618
we will insist upon.

599
00:27:00,618 --> 00:27:04,923
There are many of those
who are sitting around the

600
00:27:04,923 --> 00:27:06,925
negotiating table -- on
our side of the negotiating

601
00:27:06,925 --> 00:27:09,561
table -- who
share that view.

602
00:27:09,561 --> 00:27:11,562
And that's what we
will insist upon.

603
00:27:11,563 --> 00:27:13,565
The reasons that you're
hearing a slightly different

604
00:27:13,565 --> 00:27:16,368
message out of Iran is that
this is -- the details of

605
00:27:16,368 --> 00:27:19,169
this arrangement have
not yet been agreed to.

606
00:27:19,170 --> 00:27:20,138
The Press: Right.

607
00:27:20,138 --> 00:27:21,872
And that would be a
pretty sharp shift.

608
00:27:21,873 --> 00:27:24,376
If the way they're selling
this in Iran is to say that

609
00:27:24,376 --> 00:27:26,411
sanctions would be
lifted immediately,

610
00:27:26,411 --> 00:27:29,514
that would be a pretty sharp
shift to have to go back by

611
00:27:29,514 --> 00:27:32,583
June 30th and say it could
be a longer timeline.

612
00:27:32,584 --> 00:27:35,153
I just wondered if the
President is watching the

613
00:27:35,153 --> 00:27:38,523
comments out of Iran and
is concerned about the way

614
00:27:38,523 --> 00:27:39,557
they're selling
that timeline.

615
00:27:39,557 --> 00:27:41,760
Mr. Earnest: Well, this
has been the negotiating

616
00:27:41,760 --> 00:27:43,762
position of the
Iranians for some time,

617
00:27:43,762 --> 00:27:45,764
so I don't think there's
anybody that's particularly

618
00:27:45,764 --> 00:27:47,298
surprised about the fact
that they continue to hold

619
00:27:47,298 --> 00:27:48,666
the negotiating position
that they've had for

620
00:27:48,666 --> 00:27:49,533
some time.

621
00:27:49,534 --> 00:27:51,770
The Press: Okay.

622
00:27:51,770 --> 00:27:53,772
And can you talk about with
the Americas Summit coming,

623
00:27:53,772 --> 00:27:56,608
the scope of the interaction
between Obama and

624
00:27:56,608 --> 00:27:57,609
Raul Castro?

625
00:27:57,609 --> 00:27:59,610
We've heard they're
going to interact.

626
00:27:59,611 --> 00:28:01,613
Can you explain
the scope of that?

627
00:28:01,613 --> 00:28:03,615
And why not hold a
bilateral meeting?

628
00:28:03,615 --> 00:28:05,583
Mr. Earnest: Well, we'll
have some more details about

629
00:28:05,583 --> 00:28:07,585
the President's schedule
during the Summit of the

630
00:28:07,585 --> 00:28:09,587
Americas later this week
-- as early as tomorrow,

631
00:28:09,587 --> 00:28:10,588
in fact.

632
00:28:10,588 --> 00:28:12,657
We may have a -- we're
working to set up a pre-trip

633
00:28:12,657 --> 00:28:14,658
briefing for all
of you tomorrow,

634
00:28:14,659 --> 00:28:16,127
so stay tuned on that.

635
00:28:16,127 --> 00:28:17,195
Jim.

636
00:28:17,195 --> 00:28:19,264
The Press: Getting back
to what Julia raised about

637
00:28:19,264 --> 00:28:21,899
these different expectations
about the sanctions being

638
00:28:21,900 --> 00:28:26,271
lifted, does that mean
that there was no framework

639
00:28:26,271 --> 00:28:29,574
agreement last week?

640
00:28:29,574 --> 00:28:30,608
Mr. Earnest: No, Jim.

641
00:28:30,608 --> 00:28:31,943
There's a four-page document
-- The Press: That's a

642
00:28:31,943 --> 00:28:33,445
pretty key pillar,
it would seem,

643
00:28:33,445 --> 00:28:34,946
of this framework agreement.

644
00:28:34,946 --> 00:28:36,414
Mr. Earnest: Well, Jim,
I think we have been very

645
00:28:36,414 --> 00:28:38,316
clear about the fact that
there are still important

646
00:28:38,316 --> 00:28:40,318
details that need
to be locked down.

647
00:28:40,318 --> 00:28:42,320
But anybody who has taken
a look at the four-page

648
00:28:42,320 --> 00:28:45,723
document that we released on
Thursday of last week would

649
00:28:45,723 --> 00:28:48,460
indicate that we have
succeeded in getting some

650
00:28:48,460 --> 00:28:51,196
very serious commitments
from the Iranians as it

651
00:28:51,196 --> 00:28:53,697
relates to curtailing
and, in many cases,

652
00:28:53,698 --> 00:28:56,701
actually rolling back
their nuclear program.

653
00:28:56,701 --> 00:29:00,071
And that is why the steps
that have been taken so far

654
00:29:00,071 --> 00:29:02,139
have been incredibly
important.

655
00:29:02,140 --> 00:29:03,374
But this deal
is not done yet,

656
00:29:03,374 --> 00:29:06,444
and it won't be done until
all of the details are

657
00:29:06,444 --> 00:29:08,446
locked down, hopefully
by the end of June.

658
00:29:08,446 --> 00:29:10,948
The Press: But it sounds
like what was decided by all

659
00:29:10,949 --> 00:29:12,951
sides was just, okay,
let's go out and have an

660
00:29:12,951 --> 00:29:17,522
announcement, even though
this very key pillar,

661
00:29:17,522 --> 00:29:19,424
almost the backbone
of the framework.

662
00:29:19,424 --> 00:29:20,992
I mean, that -- it's a
little pro quo, right?

663
00:29:20,992 --> 00:29:22,293
Mr. Earnest: Well, here's
the other way of looking at

664
00:29:22,293 --> 00:29:23,394
this, Jim.

665
00:29:23,394 --> 00:29:24,329
The Press: They have to be
in compliance to get the

666
00:29:24,329 --> 00:29:25,363
sanctions removed.

667
00:29:25,363 --> 00:29:27,732
And it seems as if that
was not worked out.

668
00:29:27,732 --> 00:29:29,399
Mr. Earnest: Here's the
other way to look at this.

669
00:29:29,400 --> 00:29:32,070
The Iranians were seeking
to have sanctions relief.

670
00:29:32,070 --> 00:29:33,705
The international community
was seeking to shut down

671
00:29:33,705 --> 00:29:37,509
every pathway that Iran
has to a nuclear weapon.

672
00:29:37,509 --> 00:29:39,511
Many of the details about
how the United States and

673
00:29:39,511 --> 00:29:41,812
the international community
could get what we wanted out

674
00:29:41,813 --> 00:29:44,282
of this agreement have been
reached because we have been

675
00:29:44,282 --> 00:29:46,283
able to document the
important commitments that

676
00:29:46,284 --> 00:29:48,953
Iran has made to shut down
every pathway they have to a

677
00:29:48,953 --> 00:29:49,954
nuclear weapon.

678
00:29:49,954 --> 00:29:51,956
So you're right, there
are some elements of this

679
00:29:51,956 --> 00:29:54,792
agreement that Iran wants
that they haven't secured

680
00:29:54,792 --> 00:29:56,628
yet, and that will be an
important -- The Press: But

681
00:29:56,628 --> 00:29:58,096
doesn't that meant there
was no agreement then?

682
00:29:58,096 --> 00:29:59,130
Essentially there was
-- Mr. Earnest: No, Jim,

683
00:29:59,130 --> 00:30:01,232
because they agreed to
the other aspects of the

684
00:30:01,232 --> 00:30:02,901
agreement that relate to
what the international

685
00:30:02,901 --> 00:30:04,536
community was seeking,
which is to shut down every

686
00:30:04,536 --> 00:30:06,471
pathway they have
to a nuclear weapon.

687
00:30:06,471 --> 00:30:08,973
So, again, the
deal is not done,

688
00:30:08,973 --> 00:30:11,509
but this is why I think
the reaction -- the public

689
00:30:11,509 --> 00:30:14,646
reaction to this agreement
has been so positive;

690
00:30:14,646 --> 00:30:16,114
that people have
been surprised at how

691
00:30:16,114 --> 00:30:18,983
comprehensive it is,
about how detailed it is.

692
00:30:18,983 --> 00:30:20,552
I mean, the slides
aren't behind me anymore,

693
00:30:20,552 --> 00:30:24,022
but there are a lot of
details about exactly --

694
00:30:24,022 --> 00:30:26,024
about the commitments
that Iran made that they

695
00:30:26,024 --> 00:30:29,159
initially resisted that
can give the international

696
00:30:29,160 --> 00:30:31,696
community confidence that
Iran does not have a pathway

697
00:30:31,696 --> 00:30:32,697
to a nuclear weapon.

698
00:30:32,697 --> 00:30:34,698
The Press: And I'm not
taking that away from you,

699
00:30:34,699 --> 00:30:36,701
I'm just -- it
sounds as though,

700
00:30:36,701 --> 00:30:38,403
with that component still up
in the air, that this deal,

701
00:30:38,403 --> 00:30:41,706
a final deal, is in
peril to some extent.

702
00:30:41,706 --> 00:30:43,073
Mr. Earnest: Well, I think
that's overstating it.

703
00:30:43,074 --> 00:30:45,410
I think, again, everybody
has been clear about what

704
00:30:45,410 --> 00:30:46,978
our negotiating position is.

705
00:30:46,978 --> 00:30:48,513
There are still important
details that have to be

706
00:30:48,513 --> 00:30:49,514
worked out.

707
00:30:49,514 --> 00:30:53,484
And I'm confident that
Secretary Moniz and

708
00:30:53,484 --> 00:30:55,852
Secretary Kerry should
probably start catching up

709
00:30:55,853 --> 00:30:57,855
on sleep now because we're
probably going to have a

710
00:30:57,855 --> 00:31:01,025
couple more sleepless
weeks in June, too.

711
00:31:01,025 --> 00:31:03,895
But there's no denying
that we've made substantial

712
00:31:03,895 --> 00:31:05,930
progress in accomplishing
the goal that we set out to

713
00:31:05,930 --> 00:31:07,932
achieve, which is to prevent
Iran from obtaining a

714
00:31:07,932 --> 00:31:08,933
nuclear weapon.

715
00:31:08,933 --> 00:31:10,935
The Press: If I could try
to nail you down also on the

716
00:31:10,935 --> 00:31:11,936
Corker legislation.

717
00:31:11,936 --> 00:31:13,937
So are you saying
that indefinitely,

718
00:31:13,938 --> 00:31:16,074
until the President
leaves office,

719
00:31:16,074 --> 00:31:20,845
he will not sign a bill that
gives the Congress a vote on

720
00:31:20,845 --> 00:31:24,115
a final deal with
Iran and the P5+1?

721
00:31:24,115 --> 00:31:27,619
Is that an indefinite veto
threat essentially until he

722
00:31:27,619 --> 00:31:29,320
is done in office here?

723
00:31:29,320 --> 00:31:31,556
Mr. Earnest: Well, I think
it's easier for me to just

724
00:31:31,556 --> 00:31:33,558
restate what our
principles are,

725
00:31:33,558 --> 00:31:35,326
which are
essentially twofold.

726
00:31:35,326 --> 00:31:38,930
One is that there is a
concerted effort in Congress

727
00:31:38,930 --> 00:31:42,000
to undermine the
negotiations or undermine

728
00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:43,401
the successful
implementation

729
00:31:43,401 --> 00:31:44,469
of the agreement.

730
00:31:44,469 --> 00:31:46,738
I think that is probably a
minority of the members of

731
00:31:46,738 --> 00:31:50,608
Congress, but there is a
substantial number who hold

732
00:31:50,608 --> 00:31:51,609
that view.

733
00:31:51,609 --> 00:31:54,812
And their sense is the best
way for them to undermine

734
00:31:54,812 --> 00:31:57,748
these talks or the
implementation -- the

735
00:31:57,749 --> 00:31:59,917
eventual implementation of
the agreement is to

736
00:31:59,917 --> 00:32:00,918
hold a vote.

737
00:32:00,918 --> 00:32:05,822
The second thing is that
entering into these kinds of

738
00:32:05,823 --> 00:32:08,526
agreements is clearly within
the purview of the President

739
00:32:08,526 --> 00:32:10,495
of the United States,
and that is an important

740
00:32:10,495 --> 00:32:13,430
precedent, and it's one that
the President will defend.

741
00:32:13,431 --> 00:32:16,067
The Press: And it sounded as
though in the New York Times

742
00:32:16,067 --> 00:32:18,503
interview that he may
be open to some sort of

743
00:32:18,503 --> 00:32:21,306
non-binding vote if the
Congress wanted to have a

744
00:32:21,306 --> 00:32:25,043
say in a
non-binding fashion,

745
00:32:25,043 --> 00:32:27,145
that seemed to be something
that he could live with.

746
00:32:27,145 --> 00:32:29,147
Mr. Earnest: Well, I think
what the President indicated

747
00:32:29,147 --> 00:32:32,984
is that he takes Chairman
Corker at his word.

748
00:32:32,984 --> 00:32:35,687
Chairman Corker is
somebody who is, I think,

749
00:32:35,687 --> 00:32:41,125
engaged in this process in
a pretty principled way.

750
00:32:41,125 --> 00:32:43,127
And I think he deserves
some credit for that.

751
00:32:43,127 --> 00:32:45,996
There are not a lot of other
members in his conference

752
00:32:45,997 --> 00:32:47,665
who have done
that, but he has.

753
00:32:47,665 --> 00:32:50,668
And I think that that is
something that the President

754
00:32:50,668 --> 00:32:54,237
obviously pointed
out in his interview.

755
00:32:54,238 --> 00:32:56,574
What is also true though is
that the President continued

756
00:32:56,574 --> 00:32:59,477
to be definitive about
these principles.

757
00:32:59,477 --> 00:33:03,114
And I think the President
was, in an aspirational way,

758
00:33:03,114 --> 00:33:05,116
suggesting that we're going
to engage with Congress,

759
00:33:05,116 --> 00:33:07,485
particularly those members
of Congress that have done

760
00:33:07,485 --> 00:33:09,520
so on a principled
basis, and we're open to

761
00:33:09,520 --> 00:33:10,521
conversations with them.

762
00:33:10,521 --> 00:33:16,527
But on our two principles
here about protecting the

763
00:33:20,164 --> 00:33:25,235
presidential prerogative
and preventing the

764
00:33:25,236 --> 00:33:27,238
implementation
of the agreement,

765
00:33:27,238 --> 00:33:29,507
we are going to stand firm.

766
00:33:29,507 --> 00:33:31,609
Jordan.

767
00:33:31,609 --> 00:33:32,543
The Press: Thanks, Josh.

768
00:33:32,543 --> 00:33:34,445
A follow-up on Corker.

769
00:33:34,445 --> 00:33:36,647
What is the end
goal, I guess,

770
00:33:36,647 --> 00:33:38,683
for engaging with
these members?

771
00:33:38,683 --> 00:33:40,818
It seems like Corker isn't
backing away from the

772
00:33:40,818 --> 00:33:42,620
verification bill.

773
00:33:42,620 --> 00:33:45,523
But would the White House
be trying to establish a

774
00:33:45,523 --> 00:33:47,725
relationship with him to
stop a sanctions bill or

775
00:33:47,725 --> 00:33:49,726
something worse that
could come down the pipe?

776
00:33:49,727 --> 00:33:51,729
Mr. EARNEST: Well, we're
certainly going to be

777
00:33:51,729 --> 00:33:53,731
engaged in serious
conversations with a wide

778
00:33:53,731 --> 00:33:54,732
range of members
of Congress.

779
00:33:54,732 --> 00:33:57,502
And I know that Chairman
Corker has already heard

780
00:33:57,502 --> 00:33:59,637
from senior White House
officials about the

781
00:33:59,637 --> 00:34:02,173
agreement, and I would
anticipate that in the days

782
00:34:02,173 --> 00:34:04,175
and weeks and months ahead
we're going to continue to

783
00:34:04,175 --> 00:34:05,176
stay in touch
with him on this.

784
00:34:05,176 --> 00:34:06,377
The Press: Has the President
himself phoned

785
00:34:06,377 --> 00:34:08,179
Senator Corker?

786
00:34:08,179 --> 00:34:10,181
Mr. Earnest: I don't
have any additional

787
00:34:10,181 --> 00:34:12,183
presidential-level phone
conversations to

788
00:34:12,183 --> 00:34:13,184
tell you about.

789
00:34:13,184 --> 00:34:15,186
As you know, the President
called a number of world

790
00:34:15,186 --> 00:34:17,188
leaders as well as the
four leaders in Congress,

791
00:34:17,188 --> 00:34:19,924
the highest-ranking Democrat
and Republican in both the

792
00:34:19,924 --> 00:34:21,159
House and the Senate.

793
00:34:21,159 --> 00:34:23,161
I don't have any calls
beyond those to

794
00:34:23,161 --> 00:34:24,362
tell you about.

795
00:34:24,362 --> 00:34:25,596
Justin.

796
00:34:25,596 --> 00:34:27,465
The Press: First, I just
wanted to loop back to this

797
00:34:27,465 --> 00:34:30,134
question that it still
needs to be negotiated,

798
00:34:30,134 --> 00:34:32,136
whether or not -- I like
your Royals cup

799
00:34:32,136 --> 00:34:32,904
for opening day.

800
00:34:32,904 --> 00:34:33,838
Mr. Earnest: Thank you.

801
00:34:33,838 --> 00:34:34,705
Well, look, it's
opening day.

802
00:34:34,705 --> 00:34:35,806
(laughter)

803
00:34:35,806 --> 00:34:39,142
The Press: --
that it still needs to

804
00:34:39,143 --> 00:34:40,110
be negotiated.

805
00:34:40,110 --> 00:34:42,446
And I guess this -- I
mean, to go back to Jim's

806
00:34:42,447 --> 00:34:46,617
question, it seems like a
huge issue that should have

807
00:34:46,617 --> 00:34:49,020
been settled at this point,
so whether it's

808
00:34:49,020 --> 00:34:50,021
phased or not.

809
00:34:50,021 --> 00:34:51,022
Has the U.S.

810
00:34:51,022 --> 00:34:53,591
made it clear to Iran
that it will not accept an

811
00:34:53,591 --> 00:34:56,293
agreement where sanctions
relief is not phased?

812
00:34:56,293 --> 00:35:00,397
Mr. Earnest: I assure you
that the -- in the same way

813
00:35:00,398 --> 00:35:02,266
that you all seem to have a
very clear understanding of

814
00:35:02,266 --> 00:35:03,835
the Iranian
negotiating position,

815
00:35:03,835 --> 00:35:06,070
I can confirm for you that
the Iranians have a very

816
00:35:06,070 --> 00:35:08,372
clear understanding of what
we will insist upon in in

817
00:35:08,372 --> 00:35:09,373
the final agreement.

818
00:35:09,373 --> 00:35:12,076
The Press: So can you
explain to me then -- and I

819
00:35:12,076 --> 00:35:13,244
know that you're the U.S.

820
00:35:13,244 --> 00:35:15,613
President's spokesman and
not the Iranian one -- but

821
00:35:15,613 --> 00:35:17,915
he -- Mr. Earnest:
That's a tough job.

822
00:35:17,915 --> 00:35:20,250
(laughter)

823
00:35:20,251 --> 00:35:21,752
The Press: You
guys have described under

824
00:35:21,752 --> 00:35:23,821
the kind of tough political
situation that he is

825
00:35:23,821 --> 00:35:26,290
operating in, and especially
the motivation here is to

826
00:35:26,290 --> 00:35:28,926
provide sanctions relief
to the Iranian people.

827
00:35:28,926 --> 00:35:31,229
I don't understand why he
would be lying about the

828
00:35:31,229 --> 00:35:33,830
possible outcome of a deal
if you guys would make clear

829
00:35:33,831 --> 00:35:35,933
that you will absolutely
walk away from a deal that

830
00:35:35,933 --> 00:35:37,768
doesn't have -- Mr.
Earnest: No, no,

831
00:35:37,768 --> 00:35:39,770
I don't want to leave
anybody with the impression

832
00:35:39,770 --> 00:35:43,174
that I'm suggesting, again,
that the Iranian regime is

833
00:35:43,174 --> 00:35:46,544
somehow lying about this
aspect of the negotiations.

834
00:35:46,544 --> 00:35:47,745
I'm not saying that.

835
00:35:47,745 --> 00:35:49,714
What I'm saying is that
it is clear what their

836
00:35:49,714 --> 00:35:50,848
negotiating position is.

837
00:35:50,848 --> 00:35:52,984
The Press: So they
think you're lying.

838
00:35:52,984 --> 00:35:54,051
They think that you're
willing to capitulate.

839
00:35:54,051 --> 00:35:55,353
Mr. Earnest: No, no, no.

840
00:35:55,353 --> 00:35:57,588
Again, you'd have to
ask President Rouhani's

841
00:35:57,588 --> 00:35:58,823
spokesperson that.

842
00:35:58,823 --> 00:36:01,625
But what I can tell you is
that we've been very clear

843
00:36:01,626 --> 00:36:03,628
about what our
negotiating position is.

844
00:36:03,628 --> 00:36:05,630
And let me try to explain
it to you in one other way,

845
00:36:05,630 --> 00:36:08,733
which is that the crux
of this agreement was

846
00:36:08,733 --> 00:36:12,436
determining what sort of
commitments Iran would make

847
00:36:12,436 --> 00:36:14,438
to shut down every pathway
to a nuclear weapon;

848
00:36:14,438 --> 00:36:16,674
that that was where the
negotiations started.

849
00:36:16,674 --> 00:36:19,043
And then from there, you get
to a place -- once we have

850
00:36:19,043 --> 00:36:22,413
secured these commitments,
you get Iran into a position

851
00:36:22,413 --> 00:36:24,415
which says, now that we've
committed to doing all of

852
00:36:24,415 --> 00:36:28,019
these things, when are we
going to start talking about

853
00:36:28,019 --> 00:36:29,486
what we want?

854
00:36:29,487 --> 00:36:32,623
And the point is, you
can't start talking about

855
00:36:32,623 --> 00:36:36,761
relieving sanctions until
we have reached definitive

856
00:36:36,761 --> 00:36:39,497
agreements about how we're
going to shut down every

857
00:36:39,497 --> 00:36:41,499
pathway they have to a
nuclear weapon -- which is

858
00:36:41,499 --> 00:36:43,500
to say one has to
come before the other.

859
00:36:43,501 --> 00:36:45,503
The Press: But that is
different than what you guys

860
00:36:45,503 --> 00:36:47,204
have said before.

861
00:36:47,204 --> 00:36:49,407
Before, you said we're not
going to relieve sanctions

862
00:36:49,407 --> 00:36:51,576
until they take
concrete steps.

863
00:36:51,576 --> 00:36:54,779
Now what you're saying is,
we would start relieving

864
00:36:54,779 --> 00:36:57,214
sanctions as long as we've
got an agreement on --

865
00:36:57,214 --> 00:36:58,316
Mr. Earnest: No, no, no.

866
00:36:58,316 --> 00:37:00,785
What I'm saying is, I'm
talking about in the context

867
00:37:00,785 --> 00:37:02,185
of the talks.

868
00:37:02,186 --> 00:37:05,222
As you sit down at
the negotiating table,

869
00:37:05,222 --> 00:37:08,159
item one on the agenda at
the negotiating table was

870
00:37:08,159 --> 00:37:10,461
not and could not
be sanctions relief,

871
00:37:10,461 --> 00:37:12,796
because sanctions relief
would only be offered in

872
00:37:12,797 --> 00:37:16,867
exchange for significant
commitments from Iran about

873
00:37:16,867 --> 00:37:18,869
curtailing their
nuclear program.

874
00:37:18,869 --> 00:37:22,206
So the focus of the
negotiations for more than a

875
00:37:22,206 --> 00:37:26,344
year now has been on what
steps Iran is going to take,

876
00:37:26,344 --> 00:37:28,846
what commitments is Iran
going to make to shut down

877
00:37:28,846 --> 00:37:31,148
every pathway they have
to a nuclear weapon.

878
00:37:31,148 --> 00:37:34,452
But that's where -- we have
to work all that out first,

879
00:37:34,452 --> 00:37:38,055
and then we can get to
the question of, well,

880
00:37:38,055 --> 00:37:40,290
then once you have
established what steps

881
00:37:40,291 --> 00:37:44,261
they're going to take, then
you can start laying out

882
00:37:44,261 --> 00:37:47,431
what steps will be matched
with which sanctions relief.

883
00:37:47,431 --> 00:37:49,900
And so this is just a
sequencing argument.

884
00:37:49,900 --> 00:37:51,736
But our view on this -- just
to go back to your question

885
00:37:51,736 --> 00:37:53,738
-- our view on this
has not changed.

886
00:37:53,738 --> 00:37:57,540
We are going to see
specific commitments and

887
00:37:57,541 --> 00:38:00,911
follow-through from the
Iranians as a part of our

888
00:38:00,911 --> 00:38:03,581
sort of phase-down
of sanctions relief.

889
00:38:03,581 --> 00:38:04,482
The Press: And it
will not change.

890
00:38:04,482 --> 00:38:05,383
Mr. Earnest: It
will not change.

891
00:38:05,383 --> 00:38:06,450
The Press: So you guys will
walk away from a deal --

892
00:38:06,450 --> 00:38:07,484
Mr. Earnest: It
will not change.

893
00:38:07,485 --> 00:38:08,386
The Press: And then one
last thing on sort of the

894
00:38:08,386 --> 00:38:09,754
congressional side of this.

895
00:38:09,754 --> 00:38:12,823
I want to talk about your
message to Democrats

896
00:38:12,823 --> 00:38:13,758
right now.

897
00:38:13,758 --> 00:38:15,792
You, kind of independently,
in the briefing keep

898
00:38:15,793 --> 00:38:19,130
bringing up that this is a
partisan effort on the part

899
00:38:19,130 --> 00:38:20,297
of Republicans.

900
00:38:20,297 --> 00:38:21,866
Is that the argument that
you're making to Democrats,

901
00:38:21,866 --> 00:38:24,468
especially since it's sort
of the Democrats that are

902
00:38:24,468 --> 00:38:29,607
getting close to the
veto-proof limit on this

903
00:38:29,607 --> 00:38:30,975
Corker legislation?

904
00:38:30,975 --> 00:38:37,014
Mr. Earnest: Well, my view
is that there are a number

905
00:38:37,014 --> 00:38:39,350
of members of Congress that
have considered this is in a

906
00:38:39,350 --> 00:38:42,520
principled way, and those
are members of Congress with

907
00:38:42,520 --> 00:38:45,589
whom we can have legitimate
conversations about our

908
00:38:45,589 --> 00:38:47,591
efforts to try to prevent
Iran from obtaining a

909
00:38:47,591 --> 00:38:48,592
nuclear weapon.

910
00:38:48,592 --> 00:38:50,594
There are a substantial
number of members of

911
00:38:50,594 --> 00:38:52,596
Congress -- all of
them Republicans,

912
00:38:52,596 --> 00:38:56,133
as far as I can tell -- who
have engaged in an effort to

913
00:38:56,133 --> 00:38:58,836
just undermine the talks
from the very beginning.

914
00:38:58,836 --> 00:39:01,906
The best example of this
is Senator Cotton sending a

915
00:39:01,906 --> 00:39:05,009
letter to the
leaders of Iran,

916
00:39:05,009 --> 00:39:06,911
suggesting that they not
negotiate with the President

917
00:39:06,911 --> 00:39:08,212
of the United States.

918
00:39:08,212 --> 00:39:10,681
That is a clear, transparent
effort to undermine the

919
00:39:10,681 --> 00:39:11,682
talks in the first place.

920
00:39:11,682 --> 00:39:13,350
Now, fortunately,
that effort,

921
00:39:13,350 --> 00:39:19,089
at least on this go-around
here, has not succeeded.

922
00:39:19,090 --> 00:39:23,160
But when I'm talking about
people who aren't taking a

923
00:39:23,160 --> 00:39:25,162
particularly principled
approach here,

924
00:39:25,162 --> 00:39:28,399
the suggestion is that some
of those members of Congress

925
00:39:28,399 --> 00:39:31,102
who have no interest in an
agreement are suggesting,

926
00:39:31,102 --> 00:39:33,104
well, Congress should have
the opportunity to weigh in

927
00:39:33,104 --> 00:39:34,105
on this.

928
00:39:34,105 --> 00:39:37,108
They're not saying this out
of some sort of effort to

929
00:39:37,108 --> 00:39:39,176
protect their institutional
authority in Washington,

930
00:39:39,176 --> 00:39:41,178
D.C. They're saying it
because they want to kill

931
00:39:41,178 --> 00:39:42,179
the deal.

932
00:39:42,179 --> 00:39:43,180
That's their goal.

933
00:39:43,180 --> 00:39:46,484
There's a whole set of other
people who do I think have

934
00:39:46,484 --> 00:39:48,486
in their own mind, at least
what they consider to be,

935
00:39:48,486 --> 00:39:53,457
legitimate questions, at
least -- if not more --

936
00:39:53,457 --> 00:39:56,359
about the institutional
prerogative of Congress.

937
00:39:56,360 --> 00:39:58,696
And this is akin to the
kinds of debates that we

938
00:39:58,696 --> 00:39:59,897
have on a wide
range of issues.

939
00:39:59,897 --> 00:40:01,899
We're having it on
immigration right now,

940
00:40:01,899 --> 00:40:04,435
in fact -- what authority
is delegated to Congress and

941
00:40:04,435 --> 00:40:06,971
what authority is delegated
to the executive branch.

942
00:40:06,971 --> 00:40:08,973
And those are the
kinds of agreements,

943
00:40:08,973 --> 00:40:12,042
while occasionally is a
source of some friction in

944
00:40:12,042 --> 00:40:14,678
Washington -- more often
than not lately -- they're

945
00:40:14,678 --> 00:40:16,946
also the kinds of agreements
that we feel like we can

946
00:40:16,947 --> 00:40:19,350
work through.

947
00:40:19,350 --> 00:40:21,819
But when it comes to
those who, frankly,

948
00:40:21,819 --> 00:40:23,821
are just trying to
undermine an agreement,

949
00:40:23,821 --> 00:40:25,823
it's going to be hard to
have much of a conversation

950
00:40:25,823 --> 00:40:26,824
with them.

951
00:40:26,824 --> 00:40:28,826
Now, that has not prevented
the administration from

952
00:40:28,826 --> 00:40:30,795
fulfilling what believe is
our responsibility to engage

953
00:40:30,795 --> 00:40:31,796
with those members
of Congress.

954
00:40:31,796 --> 00:40:33,798
In fact, Senator McConnell
was one of the signatories

955
00:40:33,798 --> 00:40:35,098
of the letter, and he
received a briefing from the

956
00:40:35,099 --> 00:40:36,433
President of the United
States about the terms of

957
00:40:36,433 --> 00:40:38,803
the agreement.

958
00:40:38,803 --> 00:40:42,606
So we're going to hold up
our end of the bargain here.

959
00:40:42,606 --> 00:40:45,176
But the lines that we
have drawn are firm,

960
00:40:45,176 --> 00:40:46,577
and we're going
to stick to them.

961
00:40:46,577 --> 00:40:47,745
The Press: Just to put a
finer point on a question,

962
00:40:47,745 --> 00:40:49,180
and then I'm
done, I promise.

963
00:40:49,180 --> 00:40:51,415
When you're talking to
somebody like Chuck Schumer

964
00:40:51,415 --> 00:40:55,553
or Bob Menendez, is your
argument merely -- or is

965
00:40:55,553 --> 00:40:58,355
your case for why they
should not back this

966
00:40:58,355 --> 00:41:02,893
legislation merely this is
a strong deal on its merit;

967
00:41:02,893 --> 00:41:05,396
you should kind of look
at it in that context,

968
00:41:05,396 --> 00:41:07,064
in a national
security context?

969
00:41:07,064 --> 00:41:09,933
Or are you also making the
point [that] Republicans

970
00:41:09,934 --> 00:41:12,703
over here are just trying
to undermine the President;

971
00:41:12,703 --> 00:41:16,173
this is not only a
security question,

972
00:41:16,173 --> 00:41:18,075
but a political
question for Democrats,

973
00:41:18,075 --> 00:41:21,111
and there should be a
preservation of sort of the

974
00:41:21,111 --> 00:41:23,379
President's abilities and
political stature here?

975
00:41:23,380 --> 00:41:25,382
Mr. Earnest: Well, I
think it's less about the

976
00:41:25,382 --> 00:41:27,551
President's political
stature and more about

977
00:41:27,551 --> 00:41:30,154
exposing this for the
political tactic that it is.

978
00:41:30,154 --> 00:41:32,156
I don't know that that is
the focus of our argument,

979
00:41:32,156 --> 00:41:34,124
but it is an
undeniable fact.

980
00:41:34,124 --> 00:41:38,194
But, yes, I think our case
to every member of Congress

981
00:41:38,195 --> 00:41:41,765
is to take a look at the
commitments that we have

982
00:41:41,765 --> 00:41:43,133
obtained from the Iranians.

983
00:41:43,133 --> 00:41:47,437
As Secretary Moniz
persuasively explained,

984
00:41:47,438 --> 00:41:49,740
that we have gotten
commitments that would shut

985
00:41:49,740 --> 00:41:51,975
down every pathway that Iran
has to a nuclear weapon.

986
00:41:51,976 --> 00:41:54,044
There will continue to be
details that need to be

987
00:41:54,044 --> 00:41:55,045
worked out.

988
00:41:55,045 --> 00:41:57,014
There are details related
to the inspections,

989
00:41:57,014 --> 00:41:59,016
and certainly details
as you asked about,

990
00:41:59,016 --> 00:42:02,486
that are related to
providing sanctions relief.

991
00:42:02,486 --> 00:42:06,891
But our principal
conversations right now are

992
00:42:06,891 --> 00:42:08,859
focused on the merits of
this agreement as it exists

993
00:42:08,859 --> 00:42:10,394
right now.

994
00:42:10,394 --> 00:42:11,928
Major.

995
00:42:11,929 --> 00:42:13,030
The Press: So if you're
talking to a member of

996
00:42:13,030 --> 00:42:15,599
Congress on the merits,
and he or she says, oh,

997
00:42:15,599 --> 00:42:17,601
on the merits it
looks pretty good,

998
00:42:17,601 --> 00:42:19,603
but I don't know when the
sanctions are going to be

999
00:42:19,603 --> 00:42:21,939
lifted, you can say
unequivocally it will be

1000
00:42:21,939 --> 00:42:24,975
impossible for any sanctions
to be lifted immediately?

1001
00:42:24,975 --> 00:42:28,746
Mr. Earnest: What I'm saying
is that the -- I'm saying

1002
00:42:28,746 --> 00:42:29,747
two things.

1003
00:42:29,747 --> 00:42:33,149
One is that the details of
that arrangement still have

1004
00:42:33,150 --> 00:42:34,418
to be negotiated.

1005
00:42:34,418 --> 00:42:35,386
The Press: So it's possible
it could be lifted.

1006
00:42:35,386 --> 00:42:37,421
Mr. Earnest: And it
continues to be our view

1007
00:42:37,421 --> 00:42:39,156
that a phased approach
is the best one.

1008
00:42:39,156 --> 00:42:40,190
The Press: Right.

1009
00:42:40,190 --> 00:42:42,259
But that's the prevailing
view, currently.

1010
00:42:42,259 --> 00:42:45,162
Mr. Earnest: Well, what I'm
saying is that --

1011
00:42:45,162 --> 00:42:46,163
The Press: Correct?

1012
00:42:46,163 --> 00:42:50,634
Mr. Earnest: I don't know
what the prevailing view is.

1013
00:42:50,634 --> 00:42:51,268
What I'm telling you is that
-- The Press: Hasn't

1014
00:42:51,268 --> 00:42:52,236
been settled.

1015
00:42:52,236 --> 00:42:53,203
Mr. Earnest: When you
say prevailing view,

1016
00:42:53,203 --> 00:42:54,138
you mean prevailing among
members of Congress?

1017
00:42:54,138 --> 00:42:55,873
The Press: No, among those
who will negotiate

1018
00:42:55,873 --> 00:42:57,741
this deal.

1019
00:42:57,741 --> 00:43:02,813
Mr. Earnest: Those who
negotiate this deal agree

1020
00:43:02,813 --> 00:43:04,815
with the United States that
what we want to see if a

1021
00:43:04,815 --> 00:43:05,983
phased approach to
sanctions relief.

1022
00:43:05,983 --> 00:43:07,251
And that phased approach
is one that we're going to

1023
00:43:07,251 --> 00:43:08,085
insist upon.

1024
00:43:08,085 --> 00:43:08,852
The Press: That is
not yet agreed to.

1025
00:43:08,852 --> 00:43:09,886
Mr. Earnest: And that is
not yet agreed to by

1026
00:43:09,887 --> 00:43:10,654
the Iranians.

1027
00:43:10,654 --> 00:43:12,189
I do think that that
represents the consensus

1028
00:43:12,189 --> 00:43:13,891
view of the
international community.

1029
00:43:13,891 --> 00:43:15,926
But -- The Press: Is the
international community in

1030
00:43:15,926 --> 00:43:17,795
agreement with this
administration that all will

1031
00:43:17,795 --> 00:43:20,364
walk away from this deal if
that is not settled on the

1032
00:43:20,364 --> 00:43:26,837
terms you just described --
phased-in sanctions relief?

1033
00:43:26,837 --> 00:43:28,839
Mr. Earnest: Well, I don't
know of anybody who is

1034
00:43:28,839 --> 00:43:30,975
sitting on our end of the
table that thinks that the

1035
00:43:30,975 --> 00:43:34,377
Iranian proposal of
eliminating all sanctions on

1036
00:43:34,378 --> 00:43:36,880
day one is wise.

1037
00:43:36,880 --> 00:43:38,615
The Press: But they think
that lifting some might be

1038
00:43:38,615 --> 00:43:39,817
wise to get a deal.

1039
00:43:39,817 --> 00:43:41,919
Mr. Earnest: Well, again, I
don't know what -- I'm not

1040
00:43:41,919 --> 00:43:44,654
going to get ahead of sort
of where this ends up.

1041
00:43:44,655 --> 00:43:47,458
But again, we are going to
be in a situation where we

1042
00:43:47,458 --> 00:43:50,861
are going to have a phase-in
of sanctions relief,

1043
00:43:50,861 --> 00:43:55,165
and that is something that
is an important principle.

1044
00:43:55,165 --> 00:43:57,234
The Press: So how can a
member of Congress fairly

1045
00:43:57,234 --> 00:43:59,336
evaluate the merits of this
with this question

1046
00:43:59,336 --> 00:44:02,772
still unresolved?

1047
00:44:02,773 --> 00:44:04,775
Mr. Earnest: Well, I guess
that would be one reason why

1048
00:44:04,775 --> 00:44:06,777
I would suggest that members
of Congress shouldn't be

1049
00:44:06,777 --> 00:44:08,178
voting on a piece of
legislation until we have a

1050
00:44:08,178 --> 00:44:10,781
final agreement at
the end of June.

1051
00:44:10,781 --> 00:44:12,783
So I think that's a
persuasive argument.

1052
00:44:12,783 --> 00:44:14,785
Once June arrives, then
we'll have an opportunity to

1053
00:44:14,785 --> 00:44:16,787
look at the details of the
agreement and we can have

1054
00:44:16,787 --> 00:44:17,788
further conversation
about it.

1055
00:44:17,788 --> 00:44:19,790
The Press: So the idea
that you would have,

1056
00:44:19,790 --> 00:44:21,792
as a member of Congress,
misgivings -- because the

1057
00:44:21,792 --> 00:44:24,395
question of lifting is
unresolved -- is not,

1058
00:44:24,395 --> 00:44:27,898
to your mind, justification
for asking Congress to

1059
00:44:27,898 --> 00:44:30,134
approve it; it's
justification for Congress

1060
00:44:30,134 --> 00:44:31,902
sitting on its hands
and doing nothing?

1061
00:44:31,902 --> 00:44:33,137
Mr. Earnest: No.

1062
00:44:33,137 --> 00:44:35,139
What I'm suggesting is that
Congress should play their

1063
00:44:35,139 --> 00:44:36,206
rightful role
in this process,

1064
00:44:36,206 --> 00:44:38,208
and the President of the
United States should play

1065
00:44:38,208 --> 00:44:40,210
his rightful role
in this process.

1066
00:44:40,210 --> 00:44:42,212
The President will be
the one that is on the

1067
00:44:42,212 --> 00:44:44,114
international scene
conducting foreign policy.

1068
00:44:44,114 --> 00:44:46,550
This is the way that it was
envisioned by our

1069
00:44:46,550 --> 00:44:49,820
Founding Fathers.

1070
00:44:49,820 --> 00:44:52,923
And based on the terms of
the interim agreement that

1071
00:44:52,923 --> 00:44:55,091
was reached and released
at the end of last week,

1072
00:44:55,092 --> 00:44:58,996
we're establishing a pretty
strong track record here.

1073
00:44:58,996 --> 00:45:01,165
I can certainly understand
members of Congress being

1074
00:45:01,165 --> 00:45:03,667
interested in understanding
what the final agreement

1075
00:45:03,667 --> 00:45:04,668
looks like.

1076
00:45:04,668 --> 00:45:06,870
That's precisely
the reason why, A,

1077
00:45:06,870 --> 00:45:08,872
we believe they should not
be voting on legislation

1078
00:45:08,872 --> 00:45:12,241
between now and June;
and B, it's also why this

1079
00:45:12,242 --> 00:45:14,645
administration is committed
to making sure that we're

1080
00:45:14,645 --> 00:45:16,647
sharing the details of the
final agreement once we

1081
00:45:16,647 --> 00:45:17,648
have one.

1082
00:45:17,648 --> 00:45:19,650
The Press: You said the
administration will not

1083
00:45:19,650 --> 00:45:22,152
execute its waiver authority
within the congressionally

1084
00:45:22,152 --> 00:45:25,456
authorized sanctions for
a long period of time.

1085
00:45:25,456 --> 00:45:26,557
Can you define that?

1086
00:45:26,557 --> 00:45:28,926
Mr. Earnest: Well, I think
what I have said is that we

1087
00:45:28,926 --> 00:45:30,127
-- The Press: That's what
you said just a few

1088
00:45:30,127 --> 00:45:31,128
minutes ago.

1089
00:45:31,128 --> 00:45:32,563
Mr. Earnest: Well, I think
what I said was -- and if I

1090
00:45:32,563 --> 00:45:34,298
did, then let me
correct it -- which is,

1091
00:45:34,298 --> 00:45:37,834
I think what I've said is we
believe that Congress should

1092
00:45:37,835 --> 00:45:41,305
not vote to remove the
architecture of the

1093
00:45:41,305 --> 00:45:44,841
sanctions regime until Iran,
over a long period of time,

1094
00:45:44,842 --> 00:45:46,844
has demonstrated their
compliance with

1095
00:45:46,844 --> 00:45:47,878
the agreement.

1096
00:45:47,878 --> 00:45:48,545
The Press: When will the
administration use its

1097
00:45:48,545 --> 00:45:49,613
waiver authority?

1098
00:45:49,613 --> 00:45:50,848
Mr. Earnest: In the interim,
the President would use the

1099
00:45:50,848 --> 00:45:52,349
waiver authority that
Congress has given him.

1100
00:45:52,349 --> 00:45:53,584
The Press: When?

1101
00:45:53,584 --> 00:45:54,852
Mr. Earnest: Well, again,
this is what has to be

1102
00:45:54,852 --> 00:45:56,153
negotiated with the
international community and

1103
00:45:56,153 --> 00:45:57,254
with the Iranians.

1104
00:45:57,254 --> 00:45:59,156
The Press: Could
it be immediate?

1105
00:45:59,156 --> 00:46:01,792
Mr. Earnest: Well, I'm not
going to get ahead of that.

1106
00:46:01,792 --> 00:46:03,093
The Press: Well,
it could be then.

1107
00:46:03,093 --> 00:46:05,761
Mr. Earnest: Well, I'm not
going to get ahead of the

1108
00:46:05,762 --> 00:46:06,730
ongoing negotiations.

1109
00:46:06,730 --> 00:46:08,065
And frankly, at this
point, there not ongoing;

1110
00:46:08,065 --> 00:46:13,837
everybody is taking a
well-deserved break.

1111
00:46:13,837 --> 00:46:15,839
But by the end of June we
will have to sort of work

1112
00:46:15,839 --> 00:46:17,875
out this question of what
sanctions relief is going to

1113
00:46:17,875 --> 00:46:18,876
look like.

1114
00:46:18,876 --> 00:46:20,878
The Iranians are insisting
that every sanction should

1115
00:46:20,878 --> 00:46:21,879
be removed on day one.

1116
00:46:21,879 --> 00:46:24,915
The President has forcefully
advocated in a way that's

1117
00:46:24,915 --> 00:46:26,917
consistent with the thinking
of the international

1118
00:46:26,917 --> 00:46:29,586
community that what we
should see is a phased

1119
00:46:29,586 --> 00:46:32,555
reduction in sanctions to
ensure that Iran continues

1120
00:46:32,556 --> 00:46:34,558
to comply with the agreement
and continues to have an

1121
00:46:34,558 --> 00:46:36,460
incentive to comply
with the agreement.

1122
00:46:36,460 --> 00:46:38,562
The Press: Two
quick other topics.

1123
00:46:38,562 --> 00:46:39,863
There's a huge
drought in California.

1124
00:46:39,863 --> 00:46:41,431
There is legislation
in the House that this

1125
00:46:41,431 --> 00:46:43,967
administration has already
promised to veto about

1126
00:46:43,967 --> 00:46:46,637
opening up the San Joaquin
River Delta to provide more

1127
00:46:46,637 --> 00:46:50,574
water to central California,
which is, as you well note,

1128
00:46:50,574 --> 00:46:53,043
is a large supplier of
American-grown fruits

1129
00:46:53,043 --> 00:46:54,511
and vegetables.

1130
00:46:54,511 --> 00:46:56,947
The environmental
implications and the

1131
00:46:56,947 --> 00:46:58,615
Endangered Species Act
have been used by this

1132
00:46:58,615 --> 00:47:02,019
administration to defend
this current policy.

1133
00:47:02,019 --> 00:47:04,453
Is there any flexibility
the administration can use,

1134
00:47:04,454 --> 00:47:07,858
is there any willingness to
relook at this particular

1135
00:47:07,858 --> 00:47:12,496
policy position in light
of the dire water needs of

1136
00:47:12,496 --> 00:47:14,765
California, its
agriculture community,

1137
00:47:14,765 --> 00:47:15,999
and the state at large?

1138
00:47:15,999 --> 00:47:17,701
Mr. Earnest: I don't have
any changes in policy to

1139
00:47:17,701 --> 00:47:19,069
share with you
at this point.

1140
00:47:19,069 --> 00:47:21,071
There are a number of steps
that the administration has

1141
00:47:21,071 --> 00:47:23,339
taken to try to meet the
needs of the

1142
00:47:23,340 --> 00:47:24,408
people of California.

1143
00:47:24,408 --> 00:47:25,375
The Press: But you're not
going to evaluate anything

1144
00:47:25,375 --> 00:47:26,310
in the -- Mr. Earnest: Well
I don't have anything to

1145
00:47:26,310 --> 00:47:27,344
announce on that from here.

1146
00:47:27,344 --> 00:47:29,313
But I can tell you that
there's already a

1147
00:47:29,313 --> 00:47:31,615
$100 million in livestock
assistance that's been made

1148
00:47:31,615 --> 00:47:33,950
available to producers in
California who are being

1149
00:47:33,951 --> 00:47:37,721
affected by the drought; $60
million for food banks to

1150
00:47:37,721 --> 00:47:40,591
assist families who --
particularly those who rely

1151
00:47:40,591 --> 00:47:43,327
on the agriculture sector to
provide for their families;

1152
00:47:43,327 --> 00:47:45,929
$15 million for farmers and
ranchers who are trying to

1153
00:47:45,929 --> 00:47:48,765
implement some water
conservation practices on

1154
00:47:48,765 --> 00:47:50,234
their land.

1155
00:47:50,234 --> 00:47:52,236
So there are a number
of things that this

1156
00:47:52,236 --> 00:47:54,203
administration has already
taken to try to meet the

1157
00:47:54,204 --> 00:47:56,206
needs of those who are
suffering from -- The Press:

1158
00:47:56,206 --> 00:47:57,341
But all of that was before
the 25 percent mandatory

1159
00:47:57,341 --> 00:47:59,176
restrictions the Governor
of California put in place.

1160
00:47:59,176 --> 00:48:02,679
Are you saying that those
steps are responsive to the

1161
00:48:02,679 --> 00:48:04,881
current crisis that
California is in?

1162
00:48:04,881 --> 00:48:06,883
Mr. Earnest: What I'm saying
is that we're going to

1163
00:48:06,883 --> 00:48:08,884
continue to be in
touch with California,

1164
00:48:08,885 --> 00:48:09,886
as we have been
for some time,

1165
00:48:09,886 --> 00:48:11,321
based on steps we've
already announced.

1166
00:48:11,321 --> 00:48:12,889
Ed.

1167
00:48:12,889 --> 00:48:14,891
The Press: Josh,
going back to Iran.

1168
00:48:14,891 --> 00:48:16,893
I felt like you were getting
somewhere with Major because

1169
00:48:16,893 --> 00:48:18,895
you were saying something
reasonable that,

1170
00:48:18,895 --> 00:48:20,864
why would Congress vote
before there's a final

1171
00:48:20,864 --> 00:48:21,365
agreement; why would there
be a vote by the

1172
00:48:21,365 --> 00:48:23,866
end of June.

1173
00:48:23,867 --> 00:48:26,770
But then, by your logic,
why not agree to a binding

1174
00:48:26,770 --> 00:48:29,439
up-or-down vote by Congress
after you have this deal?

1175
00:48:29,439 --> 00:48:34,611
Mr. Earnest: Because, Ed,
reaching an agreement like

1176
00:48:34,611 --> 00:48:37,481
this with the international
community and Iran has,

1177
00:48:37,481 --> 00:48:40,484
for generations, been
clearly within the purview

1178
00:48:40,484 --> 00:48:42,486
of the President of
the United States.

1179
00:48:42,486 --> 00:48:44,488
This is presidential
authority that's been

1180
00:48:44,488 --> 00:48:46,490
wielded by both Democrats
and Republicans

1181
00:48:46,490 --> 00:48:47,658
throughout history.

1182
00:48:47,658 --> 00:48:49,926
And we believe there is a
rightful role for Congress

1183
00:48:49,926 --> 00:48:52,562
to play, which is to stay in
the loop on the negotiations

1184
00:48:52,562 --> 00:48:54,731
and to receive
regular briefings,

1185
00:48:54,731 --> 00:48:56,233
which they are doing.

1186
00:48:56,233 --> 00:48:58,802
We also believe, and this
is also consistent with the

1187
00:48:58,802 --> 00:49:02,172
law, that members of
Congress will have to decide

1188
00:49:02,172 --> 00:49:05,242
when they are ready to
remove congressional

1189
00:49:05,242 --> 00:49:08,478
sanctions that they put
in place against Iran.

1190
00:49:08,478 --> 00:49:11,081
And it's the view of the
administration that Congress

1191
00:49:11,081 --> 00:49:13,250
should not consider
doing that until Iran has

1192
00:49:13,250 --> 00:49:16,119
demonstrated, over a
substantial period of time,

1193
00:49:16,119 --> 00:49:18,188
that they're committed
to complying

1194
00:49:18,188 --> 00:49:19,189
with the agreement.

1195
00:49:19,189 --> 00:49:21,658
The Press: Bringing the
Energy Secretary out on

1196
00:49:21,658 --> 00:49:23,192
Sunday's show, I
believe yesterday,

1197
00:49:23,193 --> 00:49:24,761
and here at the
podium today,

1198
00:49:24,761 --> 00:49:27,197
you obviously seem to be
focusing on the science,

1199
00:49:27,197 --> 00:49:29,199
the technical aspect, which
are important parts

1200
00:49:29,199 --> 00:49:30,200
of the deal.

1201
00:49:30,200 --> 00:49:32,202
But wasn't this supposed
to be a deal that was a

1202
00:49:32,202 --> 00:49:34,604
political agreement
between the P5+1 in Iran?

1203
00:49:34,604 --> 00:49:37,573
And are you highlighting
the scientific aspects now,

1204
00:49:37,574 --> 00:49:39,576
because as Jim
was suggesting,

1205
00:49:39,576 --> 00:49:41,578
you don't have a
political deal?

1206
00:49:41,578 --> 00:49:42,579
Mr. Earnest: No, Ed.

1207
00:49:42,579 --> 00:49:45,115
We've got very specific
commitments that Iran has

1208
00:49:45,115 --> 00:49:47,883
made in the context of
those political agreements.

1209
00:49:47,884 --> 00:49:50,153
And to help you all
understand the significance

1210
00:49:50,153 --> 00:49:52,154
of those political
commitments that have been

1211
00:49:52,155 --> 00:49:55,292
made, we brought essentially
the highest-ranking

1212
00:49:55,292 --> 00:49:57,327
scientist in the United
States government to help

1213
00:49:57,327 --> 00:50:00,063
you understand why those
political agreements are so

1214
00:50:00,063 --> 00:50:02,065
important to the science
that's guiding

1215
00:50:02,065 --> 00:50:03,033
these negotiations.

1216
00:50:03,033 --> 00:50:05,035
The Press: Last
thing, on Israel.

1217
00:50:05,035 --> 00:50:07,037
In the interview
with Tom Friedman,

1218
00:50:07,037 --> 00:50:09,038
it seemed like the President
was really emphasizing -- I

1219
00:50:09,039 --> 00:50:11,174
respect the Prime
Minister's views,

1220
00:50:11,174 --> 00:50:13,777
I understand Israel's
position here.

1221
00:50:13,777 --> 00:50:17,981
He seemed to be highlighting
areas of agreement,

1222
00:50:17,981 --> 00:50:19,149
something you
hadn't been doing.

1223
00:50:19,149 --> 00:50:20,984
You had been spending a lot
of time here at the podium

1224
00:50:20,984 --> 00:50:22,319
and other forums -- Mr.
Earnest: I don't think

1225
00:50:22,319 --> 00:50:23,520
they have either.

1226
00:50:23,520 --> 00:50:25,188
The Press: Well,
okay, fair enough.

1227
00:50:25,188 --> 00:50:28,959
But your approach -- my
question is about, again,

1228
00:50:28,959 --> 00:50:30,961
just as we were talking
earlier about other

1229
00:50:30,961 --> 00:50:32,962
countries, we can
ask them about that.

1230
00:50:32,963 --> 00:50:34,965
But I'm asking
about your approach.

1231
00:50:34,965 --> 00:50:36,967
And it seems to me
that it's changing.

1232
00:50:36,967 --> 00:50:38,969
It seems to me that the
President is now -- he's not

1233
00:50:38,969 --> 00:50:40,971
highlighting the
differences, I guess,

1234
00:50:40,971 --> 00:50:42,973
the way he was just a week
or so ago at that

1235
00:50:42,973 --> 00:50:43,974
news conference.

1236
00:50:43,974 --> 00:50:45,976
He's highlighting where
there are areas

1237
00:50:45,976 --> 00:50:46,977
of agreement.

1238
00:50:46,977 --> 00:50:47,978
Is this a
deliberate attempt,

1239
00:50:47,978 --> 00:50:51,381
as you sell this -- try to
sell this deal -- to maybe

1240
00:50:51,381 --> 00:50:53,383
reach out to Israel
a little bit?

1241
00:50:53,383 --> 00:50:55,384
Mr. Earnest: Well, Ed, I
think this is a deliberate

1242
00:50:55,385 --> 00:50:58,555
attempt to make the case
to individuals who are

1243
00:50:58,555 --> 00:51:00,723
concerned about the
security of Israel,

1244
00:51:00,724 --> 00:51:02,726
that going along with an
agreement like this that

1245
00:51:02,726 --> 00:51:05,362
would prevent Iran from
obtaining a nuclear weapon

1246
00:51:05,362 --> 00:51:07,364
isn't just in the best
national security interest

1247
00:51:07,364 --> 00:51:09,433
of the United States --
which it is -- it's also

1248
00:51:09,433 --> 00:51:12,035
clearly in the best interest
of the nation of Israel.

1249
00:51:12,035 --> 00:51:14,471
And that's certainly what
the President believes,

1250
00:51:14,471 --> 00:51:16,840
and that will be an
important part of our case

1251
00:51:16,840 --> 00:51:18,108
moving forward.

1252
00:51:18,108 --> 00:51:19,142
Chris.

1253
00:51:19,142 --> 00:51:22,379
The Press: So there is no
bill that could be offered,

1254
00:51:22,379 --> 00:51:26,516
some sort of accommodation
that suggests Congress is

1255
00:51:26,516 --> 00:51:29,286
getting its proper oversight
role and the administration

1256
00:51:29,286 --> 00:51:31,188
gets to conduct
its foreign policy,

1257
00:51:31,188 --> 00:51:33,723
that you could see the
administration signing off

1258
00:51:33,723 --> 00:51:34,724
on this before June 30th?

1259
00:51:34,724 --> 00:51:36,760
Mr. Earnest: Well, wouldn't
be in a position of

1260
00:51:36,760 --> 00:51:40,464
sort of ruling out
hypotheticals like that.

1261
00:51:40,464 --> 00:51:42,666
But certainly the
legislation that's being

1262
00:51:42,666 --> 00:51:45,802
most actively discussed on
Capitol Hill right now is

1263
00:51:45,802 --> 00:51:47,971
the legislation that Senator
Corker has put forward.

1264
00:51:47,971 --> 00:51:51,641
And, again, I'll mention
that Senator Corker is

1265
00:51:51,641 --> 00:51:53,643
somebody who has considered
this issue in a very

1266
00:51:53,643 --> 00:51:54,945
principled way.

1267
00:51:54,945 --> 00:51:57,914
But in this fashion we have
a pretty strong disagreement

1268
00:51:57,914 --> 00:52:00,851
with him -- because in
the mind of the President,

1269
00:52:00,851 --> 00:52:04,654
it could potentially
interfere with the ongoing

1270
00:52:04,654 --> 00:52:08,825
negotiations that are slated
to continue through June.

1271
00:52:08,825 --> 00:52:11,127
It also could interfere with
the ability of the United

1272
00:52:11,127 --> 00:52:14,764
States to implement the
agreement successfully.

1273
00:52:14,764 --> 00:52:19,669
And it does interfere with
a scope of responsibilities

1274
00:52:19,669 --> 00:52:21,270
that it's clearly within the
purview of the President of

1275
00:52:21,271 --> 00:52:22,939
the United States.

1276
00:52:22,939 --> 00:52:24,941
So we've made clear about
what our differences are

1277
00:52:24,941 --> 00:52:26,942
with the piece of
legislation that's been most

1278
00:52:26,943 --> 00:52:28,945
actively discussed
on Capitol Hill.

1279
00:52:28,945 --> 00:52:30,947
The Press: Understanding
that that Corker legislation

1280
00:52:30,947 --> 00:52:33,783
is exactly what you say, the
most talked about piece of

1281
00:52:33,783 --> 00:52:36,086
legislation, are there
ongoing negotiations with

1282
00:52:36,086 --> 00:52:38,921
members of Congress
about some sort of other

1283
00:52:38,922 --> 00:52:41,224
legislation that could be
put forward before June 30?

1284
00:52:41,224 --> 00:52:43,593
Mr. Earnest: Well, right now
Congress is on the second

1285
00:52:43,593 --> 00:52:47,464
week of their spring recess,
and what we have done over

1286
00:52:47,464 --> 00:52:50,500
the course of the last four
or five days is reached out

1287
00:52:50,500 --> 00:52:52,669
very aggressively to
make sure that members of

1288
00:52:52,669 --> 00:52:56,239
Congress understand exactly
what Iran has committed to

1289
00:52:56,239 --> 00:52:59,209
do in terms of curtailing
and, in some cases,

1290
00:52:59,209 --> 00:53:02,645
rolling back the scope
of their nuclear program.

1291
00:53:02,646 --> 00:53:05,181
We believe that those
changes do succeed in

1292
00:53:05,181 --> 00:53:06,816
shutting down every pathway
that Iran has to

1293
00:53:06,816 --> 00:53:08,183
a nuclear weapon.

1294
00:53:08,184 --> 00:53:10,220
And the focus of our
conversations right now has

1295
00:53:10,220 --> 00:53:13,390
been on the merits
of this agreement,

1296
00:53:13,390 --> 00:53:16,026
principally because, as
sort of Major alluded to,

1297
00:53:16,026 --> 00:53:18,428
we want people to consider
-- or we want members of

1298
00:53:18,428 --> 00:53:21,565
Congress to consider
possible action based on the

1299
00:53:21,565 --> 00:53:22,566
merits of the agreement.

1300
00:53:22,566 --> 00:53:24,567
And we're confident
that if they do,

1301
00:53:24,568 --> 00:53:26,703
that they will respect the
purview of the

1302
00:53:26,703 --> 00:53:27,704
President's authority.

1303
00:53:27,704 --> 00:53:29,706
The Press: I ask because
there are members of

1304
00:53:29,706 --> 00:53:31,708
Congress, including
Senator Cardin,

1305
00:53:31,708 --> 00:53:34,110
who have suggested that they
would like the White House

1306
00:53:34,110 --> 00:53:35,979
-- to be in conversations
with the White House,

1307
00:53:35,979 --> 00:53:38,114
or are in conversations with
the White House about some

1308
00:53:38,114 --> 00:53:40,917
sort of interim
piece of legislation.

1309
00:53:40,917 --> 00:53:42,552
Is that not happening?

1310
00:53:42,552 --> 00:53:44,220
Mr. Earnest: Well, I can
tell you that the White

1311
00:53:44,220 --> 00:53:46,323
House has been in touch
with a substantial number of

1312
00:53:46,323 --> 00:53:49,826
members of Congress,
including Senator Cardin.

1313
00:53:49,826 --> 00:53:53,530
But the focus right now
has been principally on the

1314
00:53:53,530 --> 00:53:56,633
merits of the agreement --
why what Iran has committed

1315
00:53:56,633 --> 00:54:00,303
to is so important to us
achieving our ultimate goal

1316
00:54:00,303 --> 00:54:02,305
of preventing Iran from
obtaining a nuclear weapon.

1317
00:54:02,305 --> 00:54:04,507
In fact, the case that we're
making is so much of the

1318
00:54:04,507 --> 00:54:06,810
case that the President made
over the week and in the New

1319
00:54:06,810 --> 00:54:10,513
York Times, which is not
just that we have -- we're

1320
00:54:10,513 --> 00:54:13,283
making important progress
to achieving our goal of

1321
00:54:13,283 --> 00:54:15,218
preventing Iran from
obtaining a nuclear weapon,

1322
00:54:15,218 --> 00:54:17,886
but that, in fact, through
this principled agreement --

1323
00:54:17,887 --> 00:54:20,323
through this principled
effort at diplomacy -- we

1324
00:54:20,323 --> 00:54:23,526
actually now have the best
way to prevent Iran from

1325
00:54:23,526 --> 00:54:24,627
obtaining a nuclear weapon.

1326
00:54:24,628 --> 00:54:26,830
The Press: Can I ask you
to sort of put into context

1327
00:54:26,830 --> 00:54:30,467
this set of what you call
substantial number of

1328
00:54:30,467 --> 00:54:32,602
conversations with Congress,
or very aggressively talking

1329
00:54:32,602 --> 00:54:35,372
with members of Congress?

1330
00:54:35,372 --> 00:54:37,507
How intense is the lobbying?

1331
00:54:37,507 --> 00:54:39,509
Where would you put
it in terms of

1332
00:54:39,509 --> 00:54:40,910
this administration?

1333
00:54:40,910 --> 00:54:44,381
And how difficult
is this push?

1334
00:54:44,381 --> 00:54:46,516
Mr. Earnest: Well, again,
right now the focus of these

1335
00:54:46,516 --> 00:54:48,618
conversations is on the
merits of the agreement.

1336
00:54:48,618 --> 00:54:50,654
And frankly, those
conversations

1337
00:54:50,654 --> 00:54:52,489
have gone well.

1338
00:54:52,489 --> 00:54:55,091
I think that the kind of
public reaction that we've

1339
00:54:55,091 --> 00:54:57,093
seen to the agreement is
consistent with the kind of

1340
00:54:57,093 --> 00:54:59,095
private reaction that
we've gotten as well.

1341
00:54:59,095 --> 00:55:01,096
Members of Congress, even
those who are following this

1342
00:55:01,097 --> 00:55:03,099
very closely, I think were
pleasantly surprised at how

1343
00:55:03,099 --> 00:55:04,934
detailed the
commitments were,

1344
00:55:04,934 --> 00:55:07,837
about how comprehensive
the agreements were.

1345
00:55:07,837 --> 00:55:11,675
So again, we weren't
just talking about the

1346
00:55:11,675 --> 00:55:14,344
commitments that Iran made
to curtail their nuclear

1347
00:55:14,344 --> 00:55:16,346
program, but also the
detailed commitments that

1348
00:55:16,346 --> 00:55:18,348
they made to agree
to inspections.

1349
00:55:18,348 --> 00:55:20,350
Now, there's still a little
bit more work to be done on

1350
00:55:20,350 --> 00:55:23,420
that, but we have laid the
groundwork to ensure that

1351
00:55:23,420 --> 00:55:25,422
we're going to put in
place the toughest,

1352
00:55:25,422 --> 00:55:27,557
most intrusive set of
inspections that have ever

1353
00:55:27,557 --> 00:55:30,093
been put in place against a
country's nuclear program.

1354
00:55:30,093 --> 00:55:32,095
So these conversations --
we're pleased with the way

1355
00:55:32,095 --> 00:55:34,096
that these
conversations have gone,

1356
00:55:34,097 --> 00:55:36,099
because when we're focused
on the merits of the

1357
00:55:36,099 --> 00:55:39,469
agreement, it's pretty clear
that an agreement like this

1358
00:55:39,469 --> 00:55:41,471
is clearly within the best
interest of the United

1359
00:55:41,471 --> 00:55:44,074
States because it is the
best way for us to prevent

1360
00:55:44,074 --> 00:55:46,076
Iran from obtaining
a nuclear weapon.

1361
00:55:46,076 --> 00:55:48,078
The Press: To ask my
question more clearly,

1362
00:55:48,078 --> 00:55:49,512
is this some of the most
intense and most difficult

1363
00:55:49,512 --> 00:55:51,247
lobbying that this
administration has done on

1364
00:55:51,247 --> 00:55:53,082
any given issue?

1365
00:55:53,083 --> 00:55:55,085
Mr. Earnest: Again, I
wouldn't describe it as

1366
00:55:55,085 --> 00:55:57,053
difficult at this point,
because I do think that

1367
00:55:57,053 --> 00:55:59,055
anybody who's willing
to take a look at this

1368
00:55:59,055 --> 00:56:01,057
agreement understands that
Iran has made substantial

1369
00:56:01,057 --> 00:56:03,325
commitments that both
curtail and roll back their

1370
00:56:03,326 --> 00:56:08,064
nuclear program, and do so
in a way that we can verify.

1371
00:56:08,064 --> 00:56:09,799
Now, there are a lot of
details to be worked out

1372
00:56:09,799 --> 00:56:12,134
here, and we're going to
spend a lot of time combing

1373
00:56:12,135 --> 00:56:15,238
through those details with
the hopes of reaching an

1374
00:56:15,238 --> 00:56:17,073
agreement by June.

1375
00:56:17,073 --> 00:56:19,075
But I would characterize
the conversations that we're

1376
00:56:19,075 --> 00:56:21,877
having both with
members of the public,

1377
00:56:21,878 --> 00:56:25,215
but also privately with
members of Congress,

1378
00:56:25,215 --> 00:56:28,118
that those conversations
have gone well.

1379
00:56:28,118 --> 00:56:30,086
Drew.

1380
00:56:30,086 --> 00:56:32,921
The Press: The Kenyan
government has attacked two

1381
00:56:32,922 --> 00:56:36,259
alleged al-Shabaab bases
in southern Somalia.

1382
00:56:36,259 --> 00:56:38,294
I was wondering if you could
say anything about whether

1383
00:56:38,294 --> 00:56:39,395
the U.S.

1384
00:56:39,395 --> 00:56:42,966
was involved, or in any way
facilitated those attacks,

1385
00:56:42,966 --> 00:56:45,634
and whether you
support them?

1386
00:56:45,635 --> 00:56:48,738
Mr. Earnest: Well, I've
certainly seen the news

1387
00:56:48,738 --> 00:56:55,178
reports about those offenses
by security forces in Kenya.

1388
00:56:55,178 --> 00:56:57,846
I can tell you that the
United States is working

1389
00:56:57,847 --> 00:57:01,351
closely with Kenya to
support their efforts to

1390
00:57:01,351 --> 00:57:04,954
both investigate the
terrible act of terrorism

1391
00:57:04,954 --> 00:57:07,123
that we saw at the
end of last week,

1392
00:57:07,123 --> 00:57:09,559
but also to help them
prepare a response in a way

1393
00:57:09,559 --> 00:57:11,728
that better secures
their country.

1394
00:57:11,728 --> 00:57:15,965
The United States has for
some time been backing

1395
00:57:15,965 --> 00:57:20,737
efforts in Africa to
go after al-Shabaab.

1396
00:57:20,737 --> 00:57:24,274
The United States has
supported the African

1397
00:57:24,274 --> 00:57:27,644
Union-led military
offensive against the group.

1398
00:57:27,644 --> 00:57:30,312
That offensive has actually
succeeded in taking back 85

1399
00:57:30,313 --> 00:57:34,117
percent of the territory
that al-Shabaab previously

1400
00:57:34,117 --> 00:57:36,619
controlled, or at
least previously held.

1401
00:57:36,619 --> 00:57:39,856
And there is military
personnel inside of Somalia

1402
00:57:39,856 --> 00:57:42,325
both acting in support
of Somali forces,

1403
00:57:42,325 --> 00:57:46,596
but also acting in support
of the African Union forces

1404
00:57:46,596 --> 00:57:48,598
as well.

1405
00:57:48,598 --> 00:57:51,034
You'll recall also that
the United States has had a

1406
00:57:51,034 --> 00:57:56,005
couple of pretty
high-profile successes when

1407
00:57:56,005 --> 00:57:59,108
it comes to fighting
al-Shabaab recently.

1408
00:57:59,108 --> 00:58:01,578
Back in September, the
United States military

1409
00:58:01,578 --> 00:58:04,881
announced the death of
al-Shabaab's leader in an

1410
00:58:04,881 --> 00:58:08,183
operation that was
carried out in Somalia.

1411
00:58:08,184 --> 00:58:10,186
And just a few weeks
ago, there was another

1412
00:58:10,186 --> 00:58:12,255
announcement that was made
from the Pentagon about a

1413
00:58:12,255 --> 00:58:14,891
senior member of al-Shabaab
who had been instrumental in

1414
00:58:14,891 --> 00:58:17,393
planning the attack
against the Westgate Mall,

1415
00:58:17,393 --> 00:58:18,695
also in Kenya.

1416
00:58:18,695 --> 00:58:22,565
So it is clear that based
on our efforts to support

1417
00:58:22,565 --> 00:58:25,602
forces on the ground, as
well as unilateral actions

1418
00:58:25,602 --> 00:58:29,205
that we're taking, that we
can push back against the

1419
00:58:29,205 --> 00:58:31,207
threat that is
posed by al-Shabaab.

1420
00:58:31,207 --> 00:58:33,810
But it's also true that
that threat is far from

1421
00:58:33,810 --> 00:58:36,512
eliminated, and we continue
to be vigilant about the

1422
00:58:36,512 --> 00:58:37,513
risk that they pose.

1423
00:58:37,513 --> 00:58:39,515
The Press: Just
on another issue.

1424
00:58:39,515 --> 00:58:42,484
The Turkish government this
morning ordered the blocking

1425
00:58:42,485 --> 00:58:46,289
of Twitter, YouTube, and a
couple of other

1426
00:58:46,289 --> 00:58:47,891
social media sites.

1427
00:58:47,891 --> 00:58:49,826
Is this behavior that the
White House believes is

1428
00:58:49,826 --> 00:58:53,997
compatible with democracy
in a country that's a close

1429
00:58:53,997 --> 00:58:55,999
ally of the U.S. and the region?

1430
00:58:55,999 --> 00:58:57,834
Mr. Earnest: Well, I
haven't seen those reports,

1431
00:58:57,834 --> 00:59:01,203
so let me have somebody
follow up with you on that.

1432
00:59:01,204 --> 00:59:02,205
JC.

1433
00:59:02,205 --> 00:59:04,207
The Press: Can you give us
an update on the crisis in

1434
00:59:04,207 --> 00:59:06,643
Yemen and what continues
to be at stake for the U.S.

1435
00:59:06,643 --> 00:59:08,711
national security?

1436
00:59:08,711 --> 00:59:10,613
Mr. Earnest: Well, JC, we
continue to be concerned

1437
00:59:10,613 --> 00:59:13,883
about the violence and chaos
that we see in Yemen

1438
00:59:13,883 --> 00:59:15,651
right now.

1439
00:59:15,652 --> 00:59:20,890
The U.S.

1440
00:59:20,890 --> 00:59:23,725
military continues to
support the efforts of Saudi

1441
00:59:23,726 --> 00:59:25,929
Arabia and some of their
partners in the region to

1442
00:59:25,929 --> 00:59:28,898
try to address the security
situation along their border

1443
00:59:28,898 --> 00:59:31,034
that they're justifiably
concerned about.

1444
00:59:31,034 --> 00:59:35,805
The United States is also
forcefully supporting the

1445
00:59:35,805 --> 00:59:39,942
U.N.-led effort to try to
bring the violence to an end

1446
00:59:39,943 --> 00:59:43,446
and bring all of the parties
who are in conflict there

1447
00:59:43,446 --> 00:59:45,714
around the negotiating table
to try to resolve their

1448
00:59:45,715 --> 00:59:47,350
differences peacefully.

1449
00:59:47,350 --> 00:59:50,353
So we've obviously got a lot
-- our work remains cut out

1450
00:59:50,353 --> 00:59:52,355
for us both in terms
of the violence,

1451
00:59:52,355 --> 00:59:55,024
but also in terms of the
scope of the humanitarian

1452
00:59:55,024 --> 00:59:57,694
situation that we
see there in Yemen;

1453
00:59:57,694 --> 01:00:00,763
that there are widespread
reports of innocent people

1454
01:00:00,763 --> 01:00:02,765
who are caught in the
crossfire, in harm's way,

1455
01:00:02,765 --> 01:00:06,336
or having trouble
accessing food and shelter,

1456
01:00:06,336 --> 01:00:10,006
and we continue to be
concerned about that and are

1457
01:00:10,006 --> 01:00:13,176
supportive of international
efforts to try to bring some

1458
01:00:13,176 --> 01:00:15,944
relief to those in Yemen who
are suffering so badly

1459
01:00:15,945 --> 01:00:17,013
right now.

1460
01:00:17,013 --> 01:00:18,781
The Press: Will this be part
of the conversation at Camp

1461
01:00:18,781 --> 01:00:20,717
David when the Arab
nations come to discuss the

1462
01:00:20,717 --> 01:00:23,019
situations in
the Middle East?

1463
01:00:23,019 --> 01:00:24,187
Mr. Earnest: Well, we
don't have our full agenda.

1464
01:00:24,187 --> 01:00:27,924
I wouldn't expect this to be
the focus of that meeting,

1465
01:00:27,924 --> 01:00:30,626
but I'm confident that these
kinds of regional security

1466
01:00:30,626 --> 01:00:32,595
challenges are precisely
what the President has in

1467
01:00:32,595 --> 01:00:35,098
mind when he wants to bring
together these countries

1468
01:00:35,098 --> 01:00:37,366
with whom the United States
has an important security

1469
01:00:37,367 --> 01:00:40,236
cooperation relationship.

1470
01:00:40,236 --> 01:00:42,772
The Press: A couple of
points on Iran, Josh.

1471
01:00:42,772 --> 01:00:46,576
So to be clear, are you
saying that in the talks

1472
01:00:46,576 --> 01:00:49,812
there was never an agreement
on when sanctions would

1473
01:00:49,812 --> 01:00:50,813
be relieved?

1474
01:00:50,813 --> 01:00:55,985
Mr. Earnest: There continues
to be a divergent -- some

1475
01:00:55,985 --> 01:00:58,121
different views about how
exactly to accomplish that.

1476
01:00:58,121 --> 01:01:01,290
The Iranians do continue to
believe -- or do continue to

1477
01:01:01,290 --> 01:01:03,692
seek an agreement whereby
all of the sanctions would

1478
01:01:03,693 --> 01:01:05,695
be lifted on day one --
at least that's how they

1479
01:01:05,695 --> 01:01:07,697
characterize their
position publicly.

1480
01:01:07,697 --> 01:01:09,699
We've characterized our
position much differently

1481
01:01:09,699 --> 01:01:10,700
than that.

1482
01:01:10,700 --> 01:01:12,702
It is our view that
sanctions relief should be

1483
01:01:12,702 --> 01:01:17,206
phased in and that we
want to see some sustained

1484
01:01:17,206 --> 01:01:19,208
compliance with the
agreement on the part of

1485
01:01:19,208 --> 01:01:25,381
Iran essentially as a way
for us to offer additional

1486
01:01:25,381 --> 01:01:26,382
sanctions relief.

1487
01:01:26,382 --> 01:01:28,384
The Press: But in the
room during the talks,

1488
01:01:28,384 --> 01:01:30,386
before an agreement
was announced,

1489
01:01:30,386 --> 01:01:32,388
there was -- no one ever
came to the conclusion,

1490
01:01:32,388 --> 01:01:34,757
I guess, that the sanctions
were going to be

1491
01:01:34,757 --> 01:01:35,758
released gradually?

1492
01:01:35,758 --> 01:01:37,759
Because that's what the
United States seems to be

1493
01:01:37,760 --> 01:01:39,762
saying, but Iran is
saying the opposite.

1494
01:01:39,762 --> 01:01:41,764
So that's what
I'm asking about.

1495
01:01:41,764 --> 01:01:43,733
In the room, before the
agreement was announced --

1496
01:01:43,733 --> 01:01:45,735
Mr. Earnest: Yes, and what
I'm saying is it has never

1497
01:01:45,735 --> 01:01:48,905
been our position that all
of the sanctions against

1498
01:01:48,905 --> 01:01:50,873
Iran should be
removed from day one.

1499
01:01:50,873 --> 01:01:52,875
That is their position, but
it's not one that

1500
01:01:52,875 --> 01:01:53,876
we agree with.

1501
01:01:53,876 --> 01:01:55,878
The Press: Okay, so
moving on from that then,

1502
01:01:55,878 --> 01:01:57,880
what would you say, given
that you seem to have two

1503
01:01:57,880 --> 01:01:59,882
very different positions
on the sanctions relief,

1504
01:01:59,882 --> 01:02:01,884
what now is the
possibility, I guess,

1505
01:02:01,884 --> 01:02:05,354
of there actually being a
formal agreement at the end

1506
01:02:05,354 --> 01:02:06,355
of June?

1507
01:02:06,355 --> 01:02:08,357
Mr. Earnest: Well, I don't
want to put odds on

1508
01:02:08,357 --> 01:02:09,358
it from here.

1509
01:02:09,358 --> 01:02:11,360
I can tell you that based
on the fact that we have

1510
01:02:11,360 --> 01:02:14,030
reached this interim
agreement that we announced

1511
01:02:14,030 --> 01:02:17,066
at the end of last week,
that certainly improves the

1512
01:02:17,066 --> 01:02:19,035
odds that we're likely to
reach an agreement because

1513
01:02:19,035 --> 01:02:22,571
the kinds of commitments
that we sought and received

1514
01:02:22,572 --> 01:02:24,574
from the Iranians
were substantial,

1515
01:02:24,574 --> 01:02:29,946
and if those commitments are
kept we would effectively

1516
01:02:29,946 --> 01:02:31,981
shut down every pathway
that Iran has to a

1517
01:02:31,981 --> 01:02:33,015
nuclear weapon.

1518
01:02:33,015 --> 01:02:36,252
That was our goal
from the beginning,

1519
01:02:36,252 --> 01:02:40,723
and that is why I'm feeling
more optimistic than we were

1520
01:02:40,723 --> 01:02:42,892
before about the likelihood
that we could reach a

1521
01:02:42,892 --> 01:02:44,894
comprehensive
final agreement.

1522
01:02:44,894 --> 01:02:47,162
But as you point out, there
still continue to be some

1523
01:02:47,163 --> 01:02:49,665
important sticking
points that remain.

1524
01:02:49,665 --> 01:02:53,336
And as I mentioned to Jim, I
wouldn't be surprised if we

1525
01:02:53,336 --> 01:02:55,738
see some more sleepless
nights in June as this tries

1526
01:02:55,738 --> 01:02:56,739
to get worked out.

1527
01:02:56,739 --> 01:02:58,741
The Press: And just to say
a final thing -- could you

1528
01:02:58,741 --> 01:03:02,612
just explain the forever
agreement a little bit more?

1529
01:03:02,612 --> 01:03:04,614
Because he said it's
not fixed deadlines,

1530
01:03:04,614 --> 01:03:06,215
but there seem to be
fixed deadlines in there.

1531
01:03:06,215 --> 01:03:07,383
How is it a
forever agreement?

1532
01:03:07,383 --> 01:03:08,651
And that's all I had.

1533
01:03:08,651 --> 01:03:10,453
Mr. Earnest: The forever
agreement essentially refers

1534
01:03:10,453 --> 01:03:14,423
to ensuring that Iran lives
up to the commitments that

1535
01:03:14,423 --> 01:03:18,394
are put in place by the
IAEA in the form of these

1536
01:03:18,394 --> 01:03:19,395
additional protocols.

1537
01:03:19,395 --> 01:03:22,798
So these are additional
inspections that countries

1538
01:03:22,798 --> 01:03:27,602
that have previously raised
the concern of the IAEA,

1539
01:03:27,603 --> 01:03:30,973
that they'll have to submit
to a set of inspections that

1540
01:03:30,973 --> 01:03:37,846
are tough and intrusive and
allow for extensive access

1541
01:03:37,847 --> 01:03:40,116
to sites across the country.

1542
01:03:40,116 --> 01:03:42,585
This additional protocol
is in place in a variety

1543
01:03:42,585 --> 01:03:43,586
of countries.

1544
01:03:43,586 --> 01:03:45,587
It would be put in place
under the terms of this

1545
01:03:45,588 --> 01:03:47,757
agreement in Iran
with no end date;

1546
01:03:47,757 --> 01:03:50,393
that essentially those
additional protocols would

1547
01:03:50,393 --> 01:03:52,495
be in place in perpetuity.

1548
01:03:52,495 --> 01:04:00,803
Jim.

1549
01:04:00,803 --> 01:04:01,971
The Press: When the
President announced on

1550
01:04:01,971 --> 01:04:06,042
December 17th a new era
in the relationship,

1551
01:04:06,042 --> 01:04:10,011
it was thought the easiest
thing to do would be to open

1552
01:04:10,012 --> 01:04:13,883
up the embassies, and here
we are three months later

1553
01:04:13,883 --> 01:04:17,587
and there is still no
visible progress from

1554
01:04:17,587 --> 01:04:18,588
either side.

1555
01:04:18,588 --> 01:04:19,755
What's the holdup?

1556
01:04:19,755 --> 01:04:21,390
Why have the embassies
not been opened?

1557
01:04:21,390 --> 01:04:23,792
And do you expect them to be
opened before the President

1558
01:04:23,793 --> 01:04:25,928
has a chance to meet with
Raul Castro in Panama?

1559
01:04:25,928 --> 01:04:28,163
Mr. Earnest: Well, I don't
have any news about the

1560
01:04:28,164 --> 01:04:30,166
President's schedule while
he's in Panama at this

1561
01:04:30,166 --> 01:04:34,003
point, but there have been
diplomatic conversations

1562
01:04:34,003 --> 01:04:36,005
over the last three
months, a number of them,

1563
01:04:36,005 --> 01:04:37,373
about this precise issue.

1564
01:04:37,373 --> 01:04:41,344
And I wouldn't want to get
into the details of those

1565
01:04:41,344 --> 01:04:43,679
private conversations, but
it continues to be our view

1566
01:04:43,679 --> 01:04:46,148
that we're hopeful that
we'll be able to take the

1567
01:04:46,148 --> 01:04:48,651
kinds of steps toward
normalizing our relationship

1568
01:04:48,651 --> 01:04:50,319
with Cuba that
would include,

1569
01:04:50,319 --> 01:04:53,723
sort of along the
process of doing that,

1570
01:04:53,723 --> 01:04:56,726
that would include the
opening of embassies in this

1571
01:04:56,726 --> 01:04:58,294
country and in Cuba.

1572
01:04:58,294 --> 01:04:59,495
The Press: Is the White
House -- is the President

1573
01:04:59,495 --> 01:05:03,633
disappointed that it's taken
this long to really just get

1574
01:05:03,633 --> 01:05:06,335
some technical things taken
care of that would allow the

1575
01:05:06,335 --> 01:05:07,336
embassies to open?

1576
01:05:07,336 --> 01:05:09,604
Mr. Earnest: Well, Jim,
I think the President is

1577
01:05:09,605 --> 01:05:13,142
understanding that when
you have a country that has

1578
01:05:13,142 --> 01:05:16,145
essentially been ostracized
by the United States for

1579
01:05:16,145 --> 01:05:19,348
five decades that it's going
to take a little bit of time

1580
01:05:19,348 --> 01:05:23,119
to reestablish some trust
and to reestablish a basis

1581
01:05:23,119 --> 01:05:25,121
to make these kinds
of agreements.

1582
01:05:25,121 --> 01:05:29,492
And when you consider the
50-year history between our

1583
01:05:29,492 --> 01:05:31,961
two countries, three months
doesn't seem like very long.

1584
01:05:31,961 --> 01:05:35,430
The Press: Do you think that
the reason why Cuba has not

1585
01:05:35,431 --> 01:05:39,001
been perhaps more
cooperative in this nomadic

1586
01:05:39,001 --> 01:05:42,605
issue of the embassies is
because they're waiting for

1587
01:05:42,605 --> 01:05:44,307
the terrorist list -- to
be taken off the

1588
01:05:44,307 --> 01:05:45,741
terrorist list?

1589
01:05:45,741 --> 01:05:46,742
Is that the holdup?

1590
01:05:46,742 --> 01:05:48,744
And is that going
to happen soon?

1591
01:05:48,744 --> 01:05:50,746
Mr. Earnest: Well, that is
something that continues to

1592
01:05:50,746 --> 01:05:52,748
be reviewed by the
State Department,

1593
01:05:52,748 --> 01:05:54,750
and they have a process
whereby they consider these

1594
01:05:54,750 --> 01:05:56,752
kinds of terrorism
designations.

1595
01:05:56,752 --> 01:05:58,754
And they're running the
proper process over there,

1596
01:05:58,754 --> 01:05:59,755
as they should be.

1597
01:05:59,755 --> 01:06:01,724
I don't have any
update on that process.

1598
01:06:01,724 --> 01:06:03,726
The State Department may
be able to give you a sense

1599
01:06:03,726 --> 01:06:04,727
about where that stands.

1600
01:06:04,727 --> 01:06:06,729
The Press: But is that the
major holdup at this point?

1601
01:06:06,729 --> 01:06:08,731
Mr. Earnest: Well,
again, I wouldn't want to

1602
01:06:08,731 --> 01:06:10,733
characterize the private
conversations that

1603
01:06:10,733 --> 01:06:11,734
are ongoing.

1604
01:06:11,734 --> 01:06:13,736
But we know that is a
priority for the Cubans and

1605
01:06:13,736 --> 01:06:15,805
it's one that we are
actively working on over at

1606
01:06:15,805 --> 01:06:16,806
the State Department.

1607
01:06:16,806 --> 01:06:18,808
The Press: On baseball
-- it is opening day.

1608
01:06:18,808 --> 01:06:19,809
Mr. Earnest: It is.

1609
01:06:19,809 --> 01:06:21,811
The Press: Does the
President have any picks?

1610
01:06:21,811 --> 01:06:23,813
And is he going to
for, once and for all,

1611
01:06:23,813 --> 01:06:25,815
say if he's a Cubs fan
or a White Sox fan?

1612
01:06:25,815 --> 01:06:27,783
Mr. Earnest: The President
is an unabashed Chicago

1613
01:06:27,783 --> 01:06:29,250
White Sox fan.

1614
01:06:29,251 --> 01:06:31,253
That causes some tension
when I'm around because

1615
01:06:31,253 --> 01:06:33,556
they're in the same
division as the Royals.

1616
01:06:33,556 --> 01:06:36,025
But the President
is, as he should be,

1617
01:06:36,025 --> 01:06:39,729
exceedingly optimistic about
the chances of the White Sox

1618
01:06:39,729 --> 01:06:40,730
making the
playoffs this year.

1619
01:06:40,730 --> 01:06:43,265
But this year the White
Sox are actually facing off

1620
01:06:43,265 --> 01:06:45,267
against the Royals
on opening day,

1621
01:06:45,267 --> 01:06:47,269
so maybe we should wager
a bet or something.

1622
01:06:47,269 --> 01:06:50,406
The Press: As a
former Chicagoan,

1623
01:06:52,541 --> 01:06:55,578
last night the Cubs were on
the television, national TV,

1624
01:06:55,578 --> 01:06:59,749
and they had that atrocious
left field scoreboard there.

1625
01:06:59,749 --> 01:07:01,584
(laughter)

1626
01:07:01,584 --> 01:07:04,185
Does the
President have any concern

1627
01:07:04,186 --> 01:07:07,022
that this Rigley Field,
the shrine of baseball,

1628
01:07:07,022 --> 01:07:08,991
is being changed?

1629
01:07:08,991 --> 01:07:11,627
Mr. Earnest: Well, I caught
a little of the game last

1630
01:07:11,627 --> 01:07:14,697
night on television, too,
and there's also a friend of

1631
01:07:14,697 --> 01:07:17,800
mine who was texting me from
the ballgame last night and

1632
01:07:17,800 --> 01:07:20,703
he was shivering through
it but really enjoying it.

1633
01:07:20,703 --> 01:07:24,073
Even he was surprised at how
different the stadium looked

1634
01:07:24,073 --> 01:07:25,074
in person.

1635
01:07:25,074 --> 01:07:28,844
But I'll leave it to others
to debate the merits of that

1636
01:07:28,844 --> 01:07:31,914
very sensitive topic of
importance to the people

1637
01:07:31,914 --> 01:07:33,416
of Chicago.

1638
01:07:33,416 --> 01:07:37,153
The Press: I hate to
shift gears from that,

1639
01:07:37,153 --> 01:07:38,319
but back on Iran
for a second.

1640
01:07:38,320 --> 01:07:40,656
I wanted to clarify one
thing first that Secretary

1641
01:07:40,656 --> 01:07:41,991
Moniz said at the end.

1642
01:07:41,991 --> 01:07:44,693
He said we've got numbers,
and those have got to go

1643
01:07:44,693 --> 01:07:47,363
into the agreement.

1644
01:07:47,363 --> 01:07:49,698
So is it the position of
the administration and the

1645
01:07:49,698 --> 01:07:51,801
President now, that the
numbers that we have seen,

1646
01:07:51,801 --> 01:07:53,235
that he's presenting
to members of Congress,

1647
01:07:53,235 --> 01:07:54,937
that you're all pointing to
as evidence of the Iranians'

1648
01:07:54,937 --> 01:07:57,673
commitments will not change
in any final agreement,

1649
01:07:57,673 --> 01:08:02,444
that those are amounts and
dates and measures in terms

1650
01:08:02,445 --> 01:08:07,116
of the facilities in Iran
and whatnot that will not

1651
01:08:07,116 --> 01:08:08,551
change in the
final agreement?

1652
01:08:08,551 --> 01:08:10,619
Mr. Earnest: The things that
we have laid out in that

1653
01:08:10,619 --> 01:08:13,456
factsheet that we
distributed on Thursday were

1654
01:08:13,456 --> 01:08:15,090
commitments that
Iran has made.

1655
01:08:15,090 --> 01:08:18,961
What Secretary Moniz
was referring to were

1656
01:08:18,961 --> 01:08:21,831
essentially the details
that back up those numbers.

1657
01:08:21,831 --> 01:08:25,034
And ensuring that we
understand and that we agree

1658
01:08:25,033 --> 01:08:27,502
on exactly what those
numbers are that sort of

1659
01:08:27,502 --> 01:08:30,738
underpin the broader
agreement is incredibly

1660
01:08:30,738 --> 01:08:33,008
important and will be
the subject of extensive

1661
01:08:33,008 --> 01:08:35,044
negotiation between
now and June.

1662
01:08:35,044 --> 01:08:37,046
So when he was talking about
the numbers still needing to

1663
01:08:37,046 --> 01:08:39,048
be worked out, that's
what he was referring to.

1664
01:08:39,048 --> 01:08:41,050
The Press: Well, he actually
-- he was saying that the

1665
01:08:41,050 --> 01:08:43,052
numbers that he's
presenting will not change;

1666
01:08:43,051 --> 01:08:44,053
that's what he was saying.

1667
01:08:44,053 --> 01:08:45,787
Not that they still
need to be worked out,

1668
01:08:45,787 --> 01:08:47,055
but the numbers that he was
giving -- Mr. Earnest: Maybe

1669
01:08:47,055 --> 01:08:50,024
I misunderstood
your question.

1670
01:08:50,024 --> 01:08:51,093
The Press: -- with regard
to the amount of fuel that's

1671
01:08:51,093 --> 01:08:52,560
being enriched and the
amount of centrifuges being

1672
01:08:52,560 --> 01:08:55,063
run and those sorts of
things will not change.

1673
01:08:55,064 --> 01:08:58,000
Mr. Earnest: Those are
specific commitments that

1674
01:08:58,000 --> 01:09:00,002
the Iranians have made at
the negotiating table in

1675
01:09:00,002 --> 01:09:02,004
front of the
international community.

1676
01:09:02,004 --> 01:09:08,711
Now, what's also true is
that to ensure that Iran

1677
01:09:08,711 --> 01:09:10,880
lives up to those agreements
and to make sure that we all

1678
01:09:10,880 --> 01:09:13,082
understand what's
been agreed to,

1679
01:09:13,082 --> 01:09:16,285
there are details behind
those topline numbers,

1680
01:09:16,285 --> 01:09:19,555
and those details will be
the subject of extensive

1681
01:09:19,555 --> 01:09:22,892
technical conversations that
will take place between now

1682
01:09:22,892 --> 01:09:23,893
and the end of June.

1683
01:09:23,893 --> 01:09:25,895
The Press: So but the top
lines are the top lines?

1684
01:09:25,895 --> 01:09:27,897
Mr. Earnest: The top lines
reflect commitments that the

1685
01:09:27,897 --> 01:09:28,898
Iranians have made.

1686
01:09:28,898 --> 01:09:30,900
The Press: And then
on Congress's role,

1687
01:09:30,899 --> 01:09:32,535
you mentioned several times
that the President feels

1688
01:09:32,535 --> 01:09:34,103
that Congress should
not take action,

1689
01:09:34,103 --> 01:09:36,572
take a vote of any
kind before June 30th.

1690
01:09:36,572 --> 01:09:39,975
How much of the message that
you're delivering and he's

1691
01:09:39,975 --> 01:09:42,144
delivering to members of
Congress has to do with

1692
01:09:42,144 --> 01:09:45,848
buying time for
the talks to end?

1693
01:09:45,848 --> 01:09:49,318
Might his position on a vote
by Congress change if we're

1694
01:09:49,318 --> 01:09:52,521
talking about after the deal
is finalized rather than

1695
01:09:52,520 --> 01:09:55,190
before the details that
you're talking about have

1696
01:09:55,190 --> 01:09:56,625
been worked out?

1697
01:09:56,625 --> 01:09:59,395
Mr. Earnest: Well, I don't
envision a -- it is true

1698
01:09:59,395 --> 01:10:02,331
that the administration does
not believe that it would be

1699
01:10:02,331 --> 01:10:03,666
conducive to the
negotiations,

1700
01:10:03,666 --> 01:10:06,569
I think for rather obvious
reasons at this point,

1701
01:10:06,569 --> 01:10:09,805
for Congress to take
a vote before June.

1702
01:10:09,805 --> 01:10:13,509
But even after June, this
principle that we have about

1703
01:10:13,509 --> 01:10:18,247
the appropriate purview of
presidential authority and

1704
01:10:18,247 --> 01:10:21,951
the need to be able to
follow through on the

1705
01:10:21,951 --> 01:10:24,119
implementation of the
agreement will continue to

1706
01:10:24,119 --> 01:10:25,387
be bright lines for us.

1707
01:10:25,387 --> 01:10:33,195
And those are the reasons
that we have raised concerns

1708
01:10:33,195 --> 01:10:36,764
about the legislation that's
getting so much attention on

1709
01:10:36,765 --> 01:10:37,766
Capitol Hill right now.

1710
01:10:37,766 --> 01:10:39,300
The Press: So then what was
the President talking about

1711
01:10:39,301 --> 01:10:41,403
in the interview over the
weekend when he alluded to

1712
01:10:41,403 --> 01:10:44,640
the idea of Congress being
able to register somehow its

1713
01:10:44,640 --> 01:10:47,009
position on this agreement
without encroaching on

1714
01:10:47,009 --> 01:10:48,077
his prerogatives?

1715
01:10:48,077 --> 01:10:49,111
What did he mean by that?

1716
01:10:49,111 --> 01:10:50,913
Mr. Earnest: I think what
the President is indicating

1717
01:10:50,913 --> 01:10:52,915
is a commitment -- not
just a willingness,

1718
01:10:52,915 --> 01:10:54,917
but a commitment -- to
engaging with members of

1719
01:10:54,917 --> 01:10:56,719
Congress, and if there are
members of Congress that are

1720
01:10:56,719 --> 01:11:01,156
pursuing this discussion of
these topics in a principled

1721
01:11:01,156 --> 01:11:03,025
fashion, like
Senator Corker,

1722
01:11:03,025 --> 01:11:05,561
and the President is
interested in engaging with

1723
01:11:05,561 --> 01:11:10,965
them to talk through
these issues.

1724
01:11:10,966 --> 01:11:14,069
And that's why we've been
keeping them in the loop on

1725
01:11:14,069 --> 01:11:15,938
the conversations all along.

1726
01:11:15,938 --> 01:11:19,875
It's why we have worked so
hard to make sure that as

1727
01:11:19,875 --> 01:11:22,778
many members of Congress
as possible have gotten a

1728
01:11:22,778 --> 01:11:26,015
detailed accounting of what
Iran has committed

1729
01:11:26,015 --> 01:11:27,583
to so far.

1730
01:11:27,583 --> 01:11:29,585
And we're going to keep
those lines of communication

1731
01:11:29,585 --> 01:11:31,153
and that engagement open.

1732
01:11:31,153 --> 01:11:33,656
Sarah, I'll give
you the last one.

1733
01:11:33,656 --> 01:11:34,590
The Press: Thanks, Josh.

1734
01:11:34,590 --> 01:11:36,792
So over the weekend,
Senator Feinstein,

1735
01:11:36,792 --> 01:11:40,529
on one of the shows, said
that she didn't want to come

1736
01:11:40,529 --> 01:11:42,331
down with a final position
on the Corker bill because

1737
01:11:42,331 --> 01:11:45,234
some changes might
be made to it.

1738
01:11:45,234 --> 01:11:48,704
Stipulating that the White
House feels that this is

1739
01:11:48,704 --> 01:11:51,373
politically motivated by
some and that this is in the

1740
01:11:51,373 --> 01:11:54,009
purview of the President,
is the White House asking

1741
01:11:54,009 --> 01:11:56,378
Congress to make any
changes to the Corker bill?

1742
01:11:56,378 --> 01:11:59,148
Mr. Earnest: Well, our
position right now, Sarah,

1743
01:11:59,148 --> 01:12:02,384
is that we do not believe
that Congress should be in a

1744
01:12:02,384 --> 01:12:04,887
position where they are
going to vote on legislation

1745
01:12:04,887 --> 01:12:07,556
prior to June that could
interfere with the talks,

1746
01:12:07,556 --> 01:12:09,958
and we would not envision a
scenario where we would go

1747
01:12:09,958 --> 01:12:15,897
along with any sort of
congressional action that

1748
01:12:15,898 --> 01:12:18,233
would undermine the
President's authority,

1749
01:12:18,233 --> 01:12:21,403
particularly when it comes
to successfully implementing

1750
01:12:21,403 --> 01:12:23,405
an agreement, assuming we
can reach one by the

1751
01:12:23,405 --> 01:12:24,373
end of June.

1752
01:12:24,373 --> 01:12:28,811
And that is a principle that
is important both for the

1753
01:12:28,811 --> 01:12:32,447
precedent that it would set,
but also important when it

1754
01:12:32,448 --> 01:12:36,819
comes to implementing
an agreement that has

1755
01:12:36,819 --> 01:12:38,821
significant
consequences for U.S.

1756
01:12:38,821 --> 01:12:40,823
national security; that
if we are able to reach an

1757
01:12:40,823 --> 01:12:43,325
agreement around the
negotiating table where Iran

1758
01:12:43,325 --> 01:12:47,429
does agree to move forward
on all the details related

1759
01:12:47,429 --> 01:12:50,032
to shutting down every
pathway to a nuclear weapon,

1760
01:12:50,032 --> 01:12:53,836
and cooperating with the
most intrusive inspections

1761
01:12:53,836 --> 01:12:57,072
that have ever been put in
place against a country's

1762
01:12:57,072 --> 01:12:59,074
nuclear program, we want
to make sure that's an

1763
01:12:59,074 --> 01:13:01,043
agreement that
we can implement.

1764
01:13:01,043 --> 01:13:03,045
And the reason for that is
simply that that would be

1765
01:13:03,045 --> 01:13:05,047
the best way for us to
prevent Iran from obtaining

1766
01:13:05,047 --> 01:13:06,048
a nuclear weapon.

1767
01:13:06,048 --> 01:13:08,983
That's an important goal and
we want to make sure that if

1768
01:13:08,984 --> 01:13:11,754
an opportunity is presented
to achieve that goal in the

1769
01:13:11,754 --> 01:13:14,523
most effective way, we want
to be able to seize it.

1770
01:13:14,523 --> 01:13:16,792
The Press: So the White
House is not asking for

1771
01:13:16,792 --> 01:13:17,793
any changes?

1772
01:13:17,793 --> 01:13:20,228
Mr. Earnest: Well, the White
House is very clear about

1773
01:13:20,229 --> 01:13:21,230
what our position
is on this.

1774
01:13:21,230 --> 01:13:24,732
And I acknowledge again that
there are some members of

1775
01:13:24,733 --> 01:13:27,035
Congress, even on
a principled basis,

1776
01:13:27,035 --> 01:13:29,104
who disagree about that.

1777
01:13:29,104 --> 01:13:32,875
But, look, one of the things
that I noticed is obviously

1778
01:13:32,875 --> 01:13:35,410
Senator Graham is somebody
that disagrees with the

1779
01:13:35,410 --> 01:13:39,715
administration on
a number of issues,

1780
01:13:39,715 --> 01:13:41,717
and I've made this
observation about Senator

1781
01:13:41,717 --> 01:13:42,918
Corker before.

1782
01:13:42,918 --> 01:13:44,920
Previously we'd seen
a number of members of

1783
01:13:44,920 --> 01:13:46,922
Congress, including
Senator Corker,

1784
01:13:46,922 --> 01:13:48,924
criticize the
previous agreement,

1785
01:13:48,924 --> 01:13:50,926
the Joint Plan of Action
that was put in place in

1786
01:13:50,926 --> 01:13:53,228
November of 2013; what we're
now seeing from a number of

1787
01:13:53,228 --> 01:13:55,531
members of Congress is that
the Joint Plan of Action

1788
01:13:55,531 --> 01:13:57,199
should just remain in place.

1789
01:13:57,199 --> 01:13:59,835
So the fact is you have
Republicans who were

1790
01:13:59,835 --> 01:14:02,070
previously adopting the
position that they were

1791
01:14:02,070 --> 01:14:04,072
criticizing this Joint Plan
of Action before it

1792
01:14:04,072 --> 01:14:05,073
was reached.

1793
01:14:05,073 --> 01:14:07,075
That Joint Plan of
Action was agreed to

1794
01:14:07,075 --> 01:14:08,242
and implemented.

1795
01:14:08,243 --> 01:14:09,611
And a little over
a year later,

1796
01:14:09,611 --> 01:14:11,780
members of Congress who
previously criticized that

1797
01:14:11,780 --> 01:14:14,183
agreement before it even
came into effect are now

1798
01:14:14,183 --> 01:14:16,685
suggesting that that should
be the enduring policy of

1799
01:14:16,685 --> 01:14:18,086
the United States
of America.

1800
01:14:18,086 --> 01:14:21,990
So I guess my point is that
maybe they should just wait

1801
01:14:21,990 --> 01:14:24,760
until June, because this
way they can sort of save

1802
01:14:24,760 --> 01:14:26,995
themselves from having to
criticize an agreement that

1803
01:14:26,995 --> 01:14:28,997
they later support, that
they could just wait until

1804
01:14:28,997 --> 01:14:31,099
the agreement is reached and
evaluate that agreement on

1805
01:14:31,099 --> 01:14:33,435
the merits and evaluate
whether or not,

1806
01:14:33,435 --> 01:14:36,104
based on the commitments
that we've received from the

1807
01:14:36,104 --> 01:14:38,507
Iranians, and based on the
scientific insight provided

1808
01:14:38,507 --> 01:14:40,275
by people like
Secretary Moniz,

1809
01:14:40,275 --> 01:14:42,277
whether we have accomplished
our goal of shutting down

1810
01:14:42,277 --> 01:14:45,147
every pathway that Iran has
to a nuclear weapon and done

1811
01:14:45,147 --> 01:14:46,381
it in a way that
we can verify.

1812
01:14:46,381 --> 01:14:48,784
The Press: And
last question.

1813
01:14:48,784 --> 01:14:50,919
Before this last round
of negotiations ended,

1814
01:14:50,919 --> 01:14:52,821
you said nothing is agreed
to until everything is

1815
01:14:52,821 --> 01:14:54,089
agreed to.

1816
01:14:54,089 --> 01:14:55,324
But I hear you
saying now, well,

1817
01:14:55,324 --> 01:14:58,192
we got an agreement in our
pocket about what Iran is

1818
01:14:58,193 --> 01:15:00,495
going to do with its
nuclear material,

1819
01:15:00,495 --> 01:15:03,232
but we haven't agreed
on the sanctions.

1820
01:15:03,232 --> 01:15:06,635
So is anything
really agreed to?

1821
01:15:06,635 --> 01:15:09,771
Mr. Earnest: Yes, Iran has
made specific commitments

1822
01:15:09,771 --> 01:15:12,907
that were detailed in the
document that was circulated

1823
01:15:12,908 --> 01:15:14,376
at the end of last week.

1824
01:15:14,376 --> 01:15:16,378
And the truth is the other
thing that we have committed

1825
01:15:16,378 --> 01:15:19,348
to is, in exchange for
Iran's compliance with the

1826
01:15:19,348 --> 01:15:22,150
agreement, we've committed
to offering sanctions

1827
01:15:22,150 --> 01:15:23,151
relief.

1828
01:15:23,151 --> 01:15:25,153
The question really is about
the pace of that

1829
01:15:25,153 --> 01:15:26,154
sanctions relief.

1830
01:15:26,154 --> 01:15:28,257
And Iran believes that that
sanctions relief should be

1831
01:15:28,257 --> 01:15:29,758
granted immediately.

1832
01:15:29,758 --> 01:15:31,393
The position of the
international community is

1833
01:15:31,393 --> 01:15:34,329
that sanctions relief is
something that should be

1834
01:15:34,329 --> 01:15:36,164
provided on a phased basis.

1835
01:15:36,164 --> 01:15:41,904
And that description of
our position is one that

1836
01:15:41,904 --> 01:15:45,741
admittedly we've still got a
lot of questions about what

1837
01:15:45,741 --> 01:15:47,242
the details look like.

1838
01:15:47,242 --> 01:15:49,244
And that's something that
we're going to spend a lot

1839
01:15:49,244 --> 01:15:51,246
of time working on between
now and the end of June.

1840
01:15:51,246 --> 01:15:52,247
Thanks, everybody.

1841
01:15:52,247 --> 01:15:53,515
Happy Monday.