President Obama addressed the nation on Friday to announce that he had talked on the phone with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani about that country’s nuclear program.
He acknowledged the tumultuous history between the two nations, saying, “The very fact that this was the first communication between an American and Iranian president since 1979 underscores the deep mistrust between our countries.”
“There will surely be important obstacles to moving forward, and success is by no means guaranteed, I believe we can reach a comprehensive solution,” he said.
He also said that he had been instructing Secretary of State John Kerry to continue communicating with Tehran through diplomatic channels.
“We’ve got a responsibility to pursue diplomacy and we have a unique opportunity to make progress with the new leadership in Tehran,” Obama said.