Trump criticizes Obama over Iran nuclear deal: 'He gave Iran the right to have a nuclear weapon'

Trump said scrapping the Iran deal stopped what he called an inevitable nuclear threat and a potential global catastrophe
PUBLISHED MAR 26, 2026
Trump criticized Obama’s Iran deal, saying it enabled Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and required urgent reversal (Getty Images)
Trump criticized Obama’s Iran deal, saying it enabled Tehran’s nuclear ambitions and required urgent reversal (Getty Images)


WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump on Wednesday, March 25, criticized former President Barack Obama for his role in the 2015 Iran deal, claiming the former president “gave everything to Iran" and provided a legal path for a “nuclear weapon at the highest level."

Trump maintained that his decision to terminate the agreement prevented a global disaster, asserting that a nuclear weapon otherwise "would have been used a long time ago."

Trump slams Obama over Iran nuclear deal, claims it gave Tehran nuclear path

During his remarks at the annual National Republican Congressional Committee fundraising dinner in Washington, Trump directly criticized Obama’s foreign policy decisions.

Trump argued that the former president’s actions were a major strategic error, stating that “Obama gave them the absolute right, title and interest, gave everything to Iran.”

He further claimed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had warned against the deal, noting that “when Bibi Netanyahu came over and begged him not to do it, he gave Iran the right to have a nuclear weapon at the highest level within a very short period of time."

Trump further stated that his own administration's actions were a necessary move to protect the world from a nuclear threat he attributed to Obama’s decision.

He told the gathering, “I terminated that agreement as soon as I came to office,” and asserted that the move stopped an inevitable conflict.



Trump claimed that “if I didn’t terminate it, that weapon would have been used three years ago, would have been used a long time ago.”

Highlighting the use of American military power, he added, “Then we stopped it a second time with those beautiful B-2 bombers.”

Trump slams Democrats on 2024 election stakes, warns of national decline

Trump also blamed Democrats for the country's problems, saying their leadership would have led to a total collapse.

He stated, “If Democrats had won in 2024, our country would right now be a nation in terminal decline,” and added, “I don’t even know if we’d have a nation right now.”

He said that during Joe Biden’s time, the military had the “worst recruitment in the history of our country,” but claimed that under his leadership, “the spirit was back” and recruitment set new records.

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 25: U.S. President Donald Trump attends the National Republican Congressional Committee's annual fundraising dinner at Union Station on March 25, 2026 in Washington, DC. President Trump was this year's keynote speaker at the dinner. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump attended the NRCC annual fundraising dinner at Union Station on March 25, 2026, in Washington, DC (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Trump warns Iran would have nukes under Democrats, claims direct US threat

Trump also stated that the Democrats' approach to Iran would have left the world under a “mortal threat.”

He argued that without his intervention, “Iran would long ago have had a nuclear weapon” and the prospects for peace would be “absolutely shattered forever.”

Trump furthermore emphasized the direct danger to American soil, claiming that if the nuclear program had continued under Democratic policies, “we would have a cloud over us, too,” because “they would have used it on us without hesitation."

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