Obama: Only a deal will prevent Tehran possessing nuclear weapon

US President Barack Obama has said the forthcoming nuclear deal between the world powers and Iran is the best way to ensure that Tehran does not possess a nuclear weapon in the future.

In a preview aired on Israeli Channel 2 on Monday of an interview with veteran journalist Ilana Dayan, Obama said that a military attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities will not destroy the Iranian nuclear programme.

“I can, I think, demonstrate – not based on any hope but on facts and evidence and analysis – that the best way to prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapon is a verifiable, tough agreement,” Obama said.

“A military solution will not fix it. Even if the United States participates, it would temporarily slow down an Iranian nuclear programme but it will not eliminate it,” he added.

The interview comes less than a month before the deadline to reach a comprehensive nuclear agreement between the six major powers and Iran on 30 June.

The full interview with the US President is scheduled to air during Channel 2’s “Uvda” investigative news programme on Tuesday evening.