Joe Biden: 'We will not let Iran acquire a nuclear weapon, period'

Speaking at the Brookings Institute think tank on Saturday, Vice President Joe Biden said reaching a nuclear deal with Iran was a "less than even shot, but it's a shot, nonetheless," The Guardian reports.

Iran and six world powers, including the United States, were unable to reach a nuclear agreement during a round of negotiations that reached its deadline in November. The sides agreed to meet again soon, and to extend the deadline to July 1, 2015. In the meantime, sanctions on Iran will remain in place, although Biden was quick to reject calls for additional sanctions on Tehran, saying "this is not the time to risk a breakdown when we still have a chance for a breakthrough."

But Biden couched the hope for an agreement in a promise that the United States is still fully committed to eradicating Iran's nuclear program.

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"We will not let Iran acquire a nuclear weapon, period," he said. "End of discussion. Not on our watch."