15.09 Diplomacy on Syrian Crisis Offers Lesson for Iran Talks � Obama

MOSCOW, September 15 (RIA Novosti) � US President Barack Obama said in a television interview broadcast Sunday that diplomacy used to tackle the issue of Syria�s chemical weapons is a potential model for negotiations on Iran�s nuclear ambitions.

Obama said in the interview on ABC's "This Week" that Tehran�s pursuit of a nuclear weapon is "a far larger issue for us" than the use of chemical weapons in Syria.

The interview was reportedly recorded on Friday, before the US and Russia announced an agreement to inventory Syria's chemical weapons program and seize its components on Saturday.

The US president said that he had exchanged letters with new Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, but declined to give any details.