Facing a Congress that is largely concerned about and skeptical of his signature foreign policy achievement, President Obama made the case for the Senate and House of Representatives to approve the Iran nuclear deal and lift sanctions at a major address at American University. The American Iranian Council applauds the spirit of Obama’s speech, calls on both the American and Iranian governments to use the deal as an opportunity to pivot toward negotiations on the broader relationship, and strongly objects to the president’s continued military threat against Iran, even when pushing for a peaceful resolution to the nuclear dispute.