Fact Check: Did Barack Obama call Trump ‘mindless’ over Iran war?

WASHINGTON, DC: Barack Obama may have stepped away from presidential politics, but he has hardly stepped away from Donald Trump.

Since Trump’s return to the White House, the former president has emerged as one of his sharpest critics, continuing to take public jabs despite admitting that his political re-entry has, at times, created strain in his marriage with Michelle Obama.

The 64-year-old Obama recently grabbed headlines after a video went viral showing him vehemently defending his 2015 Iran nuclear deal while allegedly calling Trump ‘mindless’ for triggering a war with the regime.

The statement sparked debate across social media platforms, with many Trump supporters bashing Obama.

But the question is: Did Obama really slam Trump as ‘mindless’ over the Iran conflict? Let’s analyze:

Claim: Obama slams Trump as ‘mindless’ over Iran conflict

In the clip, which appears to be part of his sit-down interview with ‘The Late Show’ host Stephen Colbert, the former president is seen mounting a forceful defense of his 2015 Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

However, Trump, in 2018, pulled the US out of the Iran nuclear deal, reinstating sweeping sanctions on Iran and bringing US policy more closely in line with Netanyahu’s hardline stance.

Highlighting the key talking point of the clip, the caption reads, “Barack Obama dropped a bombshell and brutally called out Trump. He said, 'I already pulled it off without firing a single missile, like mindless Trump. We got 97% of Iran's enriched uranium out. We didn't have to kill a whole bunch of people or shut down the Strait of Hormuz like Trump.'"

“Bro basically said Trump is the biggest idiot he's ever seen. What courage and bravery this man has,” it continued. The viral X post crossed 383,000 views, triggering a fierce online clash between Obama loyalists and Trump supporters across social media.

Fact Check: False, Obama didn’t call Trump ‘mindless’

While Obama defended his nuclear deal with Iran, he did not call the president ‘mindless’ over his escalating conflict with the regime.

A community note attached to the viral post also claimed that the video had been manipulated. “The video is manipulated to insert the phrase 'like mindless Trump,' which Obama did not say in the original interview,” the note read.

Obama originally said, “We pulled it off without firing a missile. We got 97% of their enriched uranium out,” he said. “They were able to maintain a modest civilian nuclear program for energy.”

He did take a sharp swipe at Trump’s military strikes and the resulting shutdown of the crucial Strait of Hormuz trade route, arguing that the original deal had been “working."

“Not only did I think it was working, even Israeli intelligence thought it was working, even our intelligence services thought it was working. So, there’s no dispute that it worked. And we didn’t have to kill a whole bunch of people or shut down the Strait of Hormuz,” he stated.