Barack Obama

"No deal means a greater chance of more war in the Middle East," Obama said in early morning remarks from the White House.

Obama, accompanied by Vice President Joe Biden, spoke shortly after negotiators in Vienna announced the landmark deal aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear program for more than a decade in exchange for billions of dollars in international sanctions relief. 

"This deal meets every single one of the bottom lines that we established when we achieved a framework this spring. Every pathway to a nuclear weapon is cut off, and the inspection and transparency regime necessary to verify that objective will be put in place." —President Barack Obama.

9:05 a.m.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says the deal with Iran has brought the world "a sigh of relief."

In a statement published on the Kremlin website, Putin also said that "Russia will do its utmost to make sure that the Vienna agreement is fully implemented, thus contributing to the international and regional security."

___

8:50 a.m.

The president has now issued nearly 90 commutations, most of them to non-violent offenders sentenced for drug crimes under outdated sentencing rules. 

A commutation leaves the conviction in place, but ends the punishment. Several of those granted clemency Monday had been sentenced to life in prison.

Katherine Archuleta, director of the federal Office of Personnel Management, submitted her resignation to President Barack Obama on Friday morning, the White House said. She'll be replaced on a temporary basis by the agency's deputy director, Beth Cobert, who will step into the role on Saturday.

Less than 24 hours earlier, Archuleta had rebuffed demands that she resign, telling reporters she had no intention of leaving and that her agency was doing everything it could to address concerns about the safety of data in its hands.

However, Obama conceded more difficulties ahead in fighting what he described as a nimble and opportunistic enemy.

"We're starting to see some progress," the president said during a rare visit to the Pentagon, ticking off a list of towns in Iraq and Syria he said had been wrested from IS control in recent weeks.

Flanked by top military commanders, Obama also warned of the Islamic State's efforts to recruit and inspire vulnerable people in the United States, and called on the American-Muslim community to "step up in terms of pushing back as hard as they can." 

Obama's meetings with top Pentagon officials and other national security advisers follow a wave of weekend airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition in eastern Syria. The coalition says it was one of the most sustained aerial operations carried out in Syria to date.

Ahead of Obama's meetings, the White House sharply criticized Senate Republicans for failing to confirm Adam Szubin, Obama's nominee to be the Treasury undersecretary responsible for choking off funding to groups like IS. 

Andrew O'Keefe, of Mansfield, has been charged with a felony count of posting an online threat against the president.

According to court documents, when law enforcement officers tried to interview O'Keefe regarding the May 13 posting, he refused to speak with officers outside his home. Authorities say more than 100 weapons were found at his home and in his vehicle, including swords, double-edged knives, hatchets and spears.