US President Barack Obama on Monday enlisted his predecessor John F Kennedy in defense of contentious nuclear talks with Iran that are now coming down to the wire.
Speaking at the dedication of the Edward M Kennedy Institute for the US Senate in Boston, Obama said the negotiators led by Secretary of State John Kerry were "standing up for a principle that Ted and his brother, President Kennedy, believed in so strongly."
"'Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate,'" he said citing a famous line from JFK's inaugural address.
Kerry had served in the Senate with Ted Kennedy as a member of the Massachusetts delegation and is currently in Switzerland negotiating measures to curb Iran's nuclear program ahead of a Tuesday deadline.
The Obama administration has come under fire from Republicans, Arab allies and Israel for the proposed deal, which would offer Iran sanctions relief.
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