During the White House Press briefing today, Press Secretary Josh Earnest confirmed that the March 31 deadline for the nuclear talks with Iran could extend into April.
“[T]hose serious conversations could extend into tomorrow,” admitted Earnest pointing to the historic nature of the nuclear talks.
Earnest added that, although the date was “at least a little arbitrary,” it was “a serious one nonetheless.”
For months the White House has placed great emphasis on the talks, asserting that a successful negotiation could stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
Earnest assured reporters that Obama had not recently spoken with Iranian President Rouhani on the phone, nor had he scheduled any phone calls in the future.
Earnest said that negotiators were still at the table with Iranians, although talks had already lasted a long time. The president is anxious to get a deal, Earnest pointed out, but still willing to walk away from the table without a deal.
“It certainly would not be the outcome that he prefers,” Earnest said, about a “no-deal” situation. “No deal is still better than a bad deal.”
“The only things left on the table are the toughest things left to resolve,” he said, adding that the conversations that continued were “productive.”
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