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Under the law, Obama had the option of waiving penalties for national security reasons. In an interview that aired Monday, Obama said the U.S. has a "very good estimate" of when Iran could complete work on a nuclear weapon, but cautioned that there are still many unanswered questions about Tehran's inner workings. "Do we know all of the dynamics inside of Iran? Absolutely not," Obama said during an interview with NBC that aired on the "Today" show. "Iran itself is a lot more divided now than it was. Knowing who is making decisions at any given time inside of Iran is tough." Despite Obama's insistence that diplomacy is the best course to pursue, he has long said all options are on the table
-- an allusion to military intervention. On Monday, he said the U.S. has done extensive planning for that range of options. "We are prepared to exercise these options should they arise," Obama said. The White House sees sanctions as an effective method of increasing pressure on Iran and officials say the penalties have started to squeeze Iran's economy. In recent weeks, both the U.S. and European Union have imposed harsher sanctions on Iran's oil sector, the lifeblood of its economy. In Washington, the Senate Banking Committee also easily approved yet more penalties on Tehran last week. The sweeping measure, which is not yet law, would target Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, require companies that trade on the U.S. stock exchanges to disclose any Iran-related business to the Securities and Exchange Commission, and expand penalties for energy and uranium mining joint ventures with Tehran.
[Associated
Press;
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