SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday promised decisions soon about both a potential deal with Iran to limit its nuclear program.
At a government-sponsored economic development conference here before heading to Switzerland for another round of talks with Iran, Kerry sounded notes of optimism, noting that Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the top religious authority, had issued a formal religious ruling disavowing aspirations to build a nuclear weapon.
We have great respect for the religious importance of a fatwa, Kerry said, using the Arabic term for such religious rulings.
But he also reiterated that the Obama administration has made the end of this month a deadline for a deal that would constrain Irans ability to build a nuclear weapon.
Time is of the essence, the clock is ticking and important decisions need to be made, he said, adding, It may be that Iran simply cant say yes to the type of deal the international community is looking for.
He argued that a deal with Iran that included specific measures to verify compliance held out the only possible hope for ensuring that Irans nuclear program will be peaceful now and peaceful forever, because sanctions alone cant guarantee over the long term that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapons.
He alluded obliquely to the possibility of a military strike against Irans nuclear facilities make no mistake, we do have other options but he argued that over the long term even such strikes would not be as effective as the right deal.