Yesterday, President Obama spoke on the Iran deal at American University's School of International Service.
In 1963, President John F. Kennedy also delivered a historic foreign policy speech at American University. Just eight months after the Cuban Missile Crisis, President Kennedy had boldly entered into a diplomatic agreement with an adversary of the United States — the Soviet Union. He faced criticism at home for choosing to pursue a peaceful weapons agreement with a country no one trusted.
President Kennedy addresses the American University Commencement, recieves honorary degree.
President Kennedy's diplomatic approach succeeded in advancing the national security interests of the United States — and the Iran deal does the same.
50 years ago, JFK spoke of peace in a nuclear age at @AmericanU. Today, @POTUS will too. Read JFK's speech: http://t.co/Vk6SI5hkiF #IranDeal
— The Iran Deal (@TheIranDeal) August 5, 2015
Both Presidents believed that a peaceful agreement was preferable to alternatives which would likely lead to military confrontation.