Trump says Obama's 2015 deal fueled Iran's nuclear ambitions: ‘He thought he could bribe them’

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump sharply criticized former President Barack Obama’s 2015 Iran nuclear agreement on Sunday, June 7, arguing that the deal enabled Tehran’s nuclear progress rather than stopping it.

Speaking with NBC, Trump defended his decision to withdraw from the agreement in 2018 and maintained that recent US military action against Iran prevented the country from obtaining a nuclear weapon. His comments came as negotiations over a potential new agreement with Iran continue amid ongoing regional tensions.

Trump blames Obama-era agreement for Iran’s nuclear progress

Trump rejected suggestions that Iran moved closer to weapons-grade uranium after he withdrew the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the multinational nuclear agreement reached in 2015.

“Obama signed that stupid deal where he paid them billions and billions of dollars, he thought he could bribe them,” Trump said.

When the host Kristen Welker argued that Iran’s nuclear development accelerated after the US exit from the agreement, Trump countered that Tehran had already advanced its program while the deal remained in force. “They were developing it during the nuclear deal,” Trump said. “You don't know that?”

Trump went on to directly blame the Obama administration for Iran’s uranium stockpile. “They got all of this uranium during Obama, you know that, don't you?” Trump said. “That's how they got there… They got there. They developed it during the Obama, Barack Hussein Obama.”

The JCPOA was negotiated between Iran, the United States, several world powers and the European Union. Under the agreement, Iran agreed to restrictions on uranium enrichment, reductions in its stockpile and international monitoring in exchange for sanctions relief.

Trump withdrew the US from the deal in 2018, arguing that it failed to address long-term security concerns and provided Iran with economic benefits while only temporarily limiting its nuclear activities.

Trump defends Iran strikes, rejects claims he broke campaign promise

The president also defended recent military action against Iran, arguing that the strikes prevented a greater threat from emerging. “If I didn't go in there with the B-2 bombers, they would right now have a nuclear weapon, and it could be that half of the world would be eradicated,” Trump said.

Trump said the operation was consistent with his “America First” approach to foreign policy because he views a nuclear-armed Iran as a direct threat to the United States and its allies.

“I had to stop a country, very powerful, very dangerous country, from having a nuclear weapon because they'd use it,” Trump said.  “I'm doing the world a service, but I'm doing our country a service,” he added. “It's America First.”

Pressed on whether military action contradicted his campaign rhetoric about avoiding new conflicts, Trump rejected the suggestion. “First of all, I didn't guarantee no war,” Trump said. “Why would I have built the strongest military in the world?”

He also disputed comparisons between the conflict and previous prolonged US military engagements. “This is not an endless war,” Trump said. “We've been doing this for three months.”