US reaches out to key global partners on Iranian deal

President Obama reached out to discuss the deal with Britain and France

US President Barack Obama has reached out to the leaders of two key allies Britain and France to discuss the deal that has been offered to Iran on its nuclear programme.

Obama called the French President, Francois Hollande, a day after he spoke with the British Prime Minister, David Cameroon.

"The United States and France are in full agreement regarding the P5+1's unified proposal to Iran and the approach to negotiations.

They consider the P5+1 proposal to be a sound step toward assuring the international community that Iran's nuclear program is exclusively peaceful," the White House said after the Obama-Hollande conversation.

Later, White House Press secretary Jay Carney said it remains absolutely the case that the P5-plus-1 presented a unified proposal, which was not accepted by Iran.

"It is also true that the negotiations in Geneva were serious and that progress was made," he said.

"While an agreement was not reached on this first phase that we've talked about, it is evident that the comprehensive set of sanctions that have been implemented, coupled with the efforts to isolate Tehran that we have pursued, have had a dramatic effect on the Iranian government's view of its dilemma here," Carney said.

"They are engaging in serious negotiations about how they can verifiably comply with international obligations, in a way that allows the P5-plus-1 and all of our allies and partners, in every country in the region and world, to be confident that Iran cannot and will not obtain a nuclear weapon.

"That is the goal. And it is the right goal," he said in response to a question.

Carney said Obama has taken no option off the table, but it is absolutely his responsibility as Commander-in-Chief to pursue the possibility of preventing Iran from achieving or acquiring a nuclear weapon through a peaceful negotiation as opposed to the alternative.

"The alternative remains on the table, but it is far preferable, if possible, to achieve an agreement that is verifiable, transparent, and the product of concrete steps with Iran. And that is what we are pursuing," Carney said. State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki, at another news conference said American people justifiably and understandably prefer a peaceful solution that prevents Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, and this agreement, if achieved, has the potential to do that.

"We have an agreement among the P5+1, an agreement to halt the progress of the Iranian nuclear program and roll it back. But as they consider next steps, this is not a vote for or against sanctions, which he has supported in the past; this is a vote for or against diplomacy," she said.