Trump revives claim Obama sent 'plane loads of cash' to Iran in $1.7B payment: 'That was a disaster'

Donald Trump said without US intervention, Iran would have built nuclear weapons years ago and changed the world with their use
President Donald Trump addressed the nation on Iran and criticized Barack Obama, claiming he gave Tehran billions under a nuclear deal (Getty Images and AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)
President Donald Trump addressed the nation on Iran and criticized Barack Obama, claiming he gave Tehran billions under a nuclear deal (Getty Images and AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)


WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump addressed the nation for around 19 minutes on the night of Wednesday, April 1, mostly discussing the Iran war and why it was important.

During his address, he once again criticized his predecessor, Barack Obama, and claimed that the former president gave Tehran billions of dollars as part of a nuclear deal.

President Donald Trump arrives to speak about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)
President Donald Trump arrives to speak about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)

Trump calls Obama’s Iran nuclear deal a disaster

“I terminated Barack Hussein Obama’s Iran nuclear deal that was a disaster,” the Republican leader boasted, further asserting that Obama “gave them $1.7 billion in cash, green, green cash. Took it out of banks in Virginia, DC, and Maryland.”

In his speech, Trump also said that the massive amount of money was sent “by airplanes in an attempt to buy their respect and loyalty, but it didn't work. They laughed at our president and went on with their mission to have a nuclear bomb.”

President Donald Trump speaks about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)
President Donald Trump speaks about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)

The US commander-in-chief went on to insist that if his administration had not intervened and waged war against Iran, the deal “would have led to a colossal arsenal of massive nuclear weapons for Iran, and they would have had them years ago, and they would have used them. It would have been a different world.”

“There would have been no Middle East and no Israel right now, in my opinion,” Trump added.

Trump calls Iran nuclear program a 'cancer'

President Donald Trump speaks about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)
President Donald Trump speaks about the Iran war from the Cross Hall of the White House on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Washington (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)

The 79-year-old leader had earlier also criticized Obama, accusing him of giving Iran “the right to have a nuclear weapon at the highest level within a very short period of time.”

“I terminated that agreement as soon as I came to office. If I didn't terminate it, that weapon would have been used a long time ago,” he claimed a few days ago.

Trump even went on to call Iran's nuclear program a cancer, stating, “We had no choice, but I thought it would be much worse... In the short term, what we had to do was get rid of the cancer. We had to cut out the cancer. The cancer was Iran with a nuclear weapon. We have cut it out. Now we are going to finish it off.”

RELATED TOPICS US STRIKES IRAN

GET BREAKING U.S. NEWS & POLITICAL UPDATES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

Vance said Nixon and Trump faced similar treatment from the 'deep state'
39 minutes ago
White House called the ruling a 'tremendous win,' arguing TPS was never intended to become a pathway to permanent residency
2 hours ago
Mike Lawler urged the Trump administration to let Haitian TPS holders keep work permits while their immigration cases were decided
6 hours ago
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson praised the ruling, saying it affirmed President Trump's long-held view that TPS was temporary
7 hours ago
Former Secretary of State John Kerry criticized Trump's Iran memorandum, saying key issues, including Iran's enriched uranium, remained unresolved
9 hours ago
Louisiana Senator John Kennedy said 'the Bolsheviks' ran the Democratic Party, arguing its progressive wing had pushed it further left
10 hours ago
Administration officials said TPS was not meant as a long-term solution and moved to review and end protections for multiple countries
11 hours ago
Marco Rubio's remarks followed debate over whether differing public comments from senior officials signaled deeper divisions within the administration
12 hours ago
Trump said he knew little about Andy Burnham, calling him 'the mayor of a town' before focusing on what he viewed as the politician's liberal ideology
20 hours ago
The Senate blocked the resolution after Republicans shifted their support, as Trump argues the vote affects negotiations with Iran
21 hours ago