President says Iran memorandum is near final form, calls ballistic missiles different from nuclear arms

The President told reporters that a memorandum of understanding with Iran was "in final form" and that he expected action within "48 hours," though he said officials had not yet fixed an exact signing date. When a reporter asked whether the memorandum’s first-paragraph language barring a "threat of a use of force" would preclude military action, the President said that if Iran "doesn't come through... it'll probably happen," adding, "you can call it whatever you want."

A reporter followed up about earlier remarks that Iran having ballistic missiles was acceptable; the President replied that if countries such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar have some missiles "in relative proportion, I think it's okay," and emphasized that "A ballistic missile is not the same thing as what we're talking about when we talk nuclear." He characterized certain verification issues in the memorandum as "much less important" and "very hard to get at," while saying preventing a nuclear weapon remained the higher priority.

On whether a 60-day target for a final agreement was a hard deadline, the President said no: "It could take longer," and he did not view the timeline as firm. He also referred to U.S. military capabilities in remarks about B-2 bomber crews during the exchange.

The President closed the exchange by returning to travel plans; reporters asked several follow-ups that were left with clarifying answers but no new public schedule for final steps in the diplomacy. The memorandum’s specific legal language, verification mechanisms and binding authorities were discussed only in general terms during the briefing and were not read into the record.