Obama defends Cuba, Iran policies

In a spirited defense of his foreign policy, President Obama said in an interview aired on late Sunday that normalizing relations with Cuba would bolster American influence there and that his diplomatic strategies to contain Russia and Iran are working.

The president, appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union” hosted by Candy Crowley, countered critics who have called his foreign policy naive. He dismissed the idea that international leaders such as Russian President Vladimir Putin are outwitting him.