Obama says expects steady progress on Iran

Reuters: President Barack Obama said on Tuesday he did not expect any change overnight in U.S.-Iranian relations, but foresaw steady progress in resolving problems between the two long-time foes.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama said on Tuesday he did not expect any change overnight in U.S.-Iranian relations, but foresaw steady progress in resolving problems between the two long-time foes.

Obama made an unprecedented videotaped appeal to Iranians last week, in what some dubbed "YouTube diplomacy," offering a new beginning in diplomatic engagement.

Iranian leaders dismissed his overture as rhetoric and demanded concrete action.

"Some people said, 'Well they did not immediately say they were eliminating nuclear weapons and stop funding terrorism.' Well, we did not expect that. We expect that we are going to make steady progress on this front," Obama said in a nationally televised news conference.