At his first full news conference of the year, President Barack Obama said diplomacy is still on the table in regard to dealing with the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran."We are going to continue to apply the pressure, even as we provide a door for the Iranian regime to walk through ... by giving assurances to the international community that they're meeting their obligations and they are not pursuing a nuclear weapon," Obama said.

Obama says he is focusing on sanctions already imposed against the country despite Israel's concerns that they cannot wait much longer for the sanctions to become effectual.