Obama: Iran deal builds on diplomacy that won Cold War

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says the nuclear deal with Iran builds on the tradition of strong U.S. diplomacy that won the Cold War without firing any shots.

Obama is comparing the agreement to President John F. Kennedy's call for Cold War diplomacy and nuclear disarmament. He says not every conflict was averted, but the world avoided nuclear catastrophe.

Obama is arguing in support of the deal in a speech at American University in Washington. He's working to dissuade lawmakers in Congress from trying to stop the agreement.

Obama says many of the same people who argued for going to war in Iraq are now opposing the Iran deal. He says the looming congressional vote is part of the most consequential foreign policy debate since the Iraq war was authorized.