In an interview aired today, Dec. 29, US President Barack Obama said a nuclear deal with Iran is possible and could be the prelude to the gradual easing of hostilities between the two nations.

He said, however, that the situations with Iran and Cuba are not the same, as Cuba is a relatively tiny country that poses little threat to the United States, while Iran is a large country that has been a state sponsor of terrorism and has pursued nuclear weapons research. In addition, Obama said, elements in Iran oppose normalization with the United States, while other Iranian constituencies favor a rapprochement.

“If we can get a deal on making sure that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon — and that deal is possible … If we can take that big first step, then my hope would be that that would serve as the basis for us trying to improve relations over time,” Obama said in an interview with National Public Radio’s Steve Inskeep, taped last week.

“But in order for us to … open that aperture with respect to Iran, we have to get this nuclear issue resolved — and there's a chance to do it,” Obama said. “The question's going to be whether or not Iran is willing to seize it.