Iran Deal Could Be Obama Legacy's Saving Grace

In 2009 I reported on a fresh-in-the-job President Barack Obama's first state visit to Russia.

He arrived in a wave of optimism.

He was going to hit that reset button, blowtorch the Cold War frost and slash nuclear arsenals.

In a speech about Russia his words could just have easily been about his own US foreign policy ideology.

He said: "The great power does not show strength by dominating or demonising other countries."

His vision was clear from the start: engagement and diplomacy, not exclusion and war.

In the ensuing years his outreach strategy hasn't gone so well.

The US imposed sanctions on Russia after it annexed Crimea and invaded Ukraine.

He tripped over his own "red line" on Syria's use of chemical weapons and Guantanamo Bay is still open.

Aside from resetting relations with Cuba, none of this adds up to a great foreign policy record.

So could the Iran deal be his saving grace ?

The answer is yes, but passing it isn't enough.

It has to work and we won't know that for some time.

The deal is about dismantling Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for lifting sanctions that cost Iran billions of dollars.

The Obama administration says it's all about a choice: the deal or war.

His opponents say Iran will take the money and run, continuing its nuclear ambitions just a little more furtively.

Verification that Iran is honouring the deal will be key to its success.

That will be the difference between an Obama legacy that says:

"He made the Middle East safer by stopping Iran from having a nuclear weapon."

Versus:

"He defied Congress and lifted sanctions on Iran for a deal that failed."

But the history books haven't been written yet, which is why so much effort has gone into selling the Iran deal - not just to Congress, but to the American people.

In a few years' time, Mr Obama could be the leader who made them safer, which is arguably the highest accolade any President could hope for.