Obama invokes JFK as Iran talks hit deadline

Boston: US President Barack Obama has enlisted his predecessor John F. Kennedy in defense of contentious nuclear talks with Iran that are now coming down to the wire.

Speaking at the dedication of the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the US Senate in Boston, Obama said the negotiators led by Secretary of State John Kerry were "standing up for a principle that Ted and his brother, President Kennedy, believed in so strongly."

"'Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate,'" he said citing a famous line from JFK's inaugural address.

Kerry had served in the Senate with Ted Kennedy as a member of the Massachusetts delegation and is currently in Switzerland negotiating measures to curb Iran's nuclear program.

The Obama administration has come under fire from Republicans, Arab allies and Israel for the proposed deal, which would offer Iran sanctions relief.