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Obama Tells Congress U.S. Will Still Press Iran
(New York Times) Jonathan Weisman - President Obama wrote in a letter to Congress Thursday that the U.S. would unilaterally maintain economic pressure and deploy military options if needed to deter Iranian aggression, both during and beyond the proposed nuclear accord. Mr. Obama pledged to use the multinational commission policing the accord to block Iranian procurement of nuclear-related technology, and pledged "to enhance the already intensive joint efforts" of the U.S. and Israel in the region. "Should Iran seek to dash toward a nuclear weapon, all of the options available to the United States - including the military option - will remain available through the life of the deal and beyond," Obama wrote. He pledged to increase missile defense funding for Israel, accelerate co-development of missile defense systems, and boost tunnel detection and mapping technologies. He also vowed to increase cooperation with Israel and Persian Gulf allies to counter Iran's efforts to destabilize Yemen, its support for Hizbullah in Lebanon, and its efforts to preserve the government of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria.