President Obama was also asked today about a recent uptick in violence in Iraq, ahead of a June 30 deadline for U.S. forces to withdraw from major cities there. The issue has been largely under the radar as the administration and press have focused on Iran and major domestic policy battles.

Obama said that any attacks on American forces is of concern, but pointed to what he said was a positive "overall trend" toward decreasing violence.

"Despite some of these high-profile bombings, Iraq's security situation has continued to dramatically improve," he said.

Still, he said there is "still some work to do," particularly by Iraq's own government in strengthening its own security and making progress on political disputes.

"I haven't seen as much political progress in Iraq, negotiations between the Sunni, the Shia, and the Kurds, as I would like to see," he said.

The president caught himself as he at first said there "are always going to be" incidents of violence in Iraq, quickly changing to say there "will continue to be" violence there for some time. The greatest challenges ahead will not be from al Qaida, he added, but in brokering agreements among the three ethnic groups in Iraq.

"If those issues get resolved, then I think you will see a further normalization of the security atmosphere inside of Iraq," he said.