According to a June 30 report by the independent British media outlet Middle East Eye, former US President Barack Obama said in a US media program that during his time in office, the US reached an “effective” nuclear deal with Iran. But now, after spending hundreds of billions of dollars on a war, the US finds itself back at square one—”or even worse.”
Obama noted that Iran had agreed with the US not to develop nuclear weapons, a deal recognized as “effective” by the international community, including US and Israeli intelligence agencies. However, Trump unilaterally withdrew from the agreement during his first term, “which led Iran to ramp up its nuclear capabilities.”
Obama pointed out that the current US government has spent hundreds of billions of dollars on a war, costing many lives, yet the reality is “like returning to the starting point before the war, or possibly even worse.”
Video screenshot
During the Obama administration, the US reached a nuclear deal with Iran in July 2015, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which aimed to limit Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for relief from international sanctions. In January of the following year, $400 million in euros, Swiss francs, and other currencies were transferred from the US to Iran.
But Trump was always dissatisfied with the deal, calling Obama, who brokered it, a “sucker,” and criticizing the agreement for boosting Iran’s power and allowing it to sustain itself for years.
In April, Trump posted on social media, comparing his administration’s ongoing negotiations with Obama’s Iran nuclear deal, calling the latter a “sure path to nuclear weapons” and insisting that any deal he reaches would be “much better.”
However, as of July 1, Iran and the US are still engaged in “technical-level” negotiations in Doha, Qatar, with no plans for direct meetings between senior officials. Sources say at least three working groups are handling technical discussions in Doha, covering nuclear issues, diplomacy, and the return of frozen funds.
