Former President Donald Trump criticized the current U.S. administration’s nuclear agreement with Iran, stating it surpasses the 2015 deal under President Obama in its humiliating terms.
Trump made the remarks on Truth Social on April 20 local time, asserting that the present pact represents a more severe public embarrassment than the one endorsed by the entire Obama State Department. “This deal with Iran that the president signed is called the ‘Iran nuclear deal’ chosen by Barack Hussein Obama and Joe Biden—it’s worse than that public joint embarrassment,” Trump posted.
Background on the JCPOA
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed in 2015 during Obama’s tenure, required Iran to ship out 11 tons of 20% enriched uranium. Iran’s stockpile of low-enriched uranium at 3.67% purity was also capped at 300 kilograms for 15 years.
Trump withdrew the U.S. from the JCPOA in 2018 during his first term. The subsequent State Department imposed sanctions on Iran, but efforts yielded limited results.
Trump’s Strong Condemnation
Trump described the agreement as “one of the worst deals in history where a country is safe and related.” He added, “If I hadn’t torn up that deal, Israel would be gone. That’s how the U.S. gave the main enemy an opportunity to own nuclear weapons.”
The statement signals U.S. intent to pursue a stronger agreement than the JCPOA. It also aims to compel Iran to permanently and comprehensively abandon its nuclear materials stockpile and uranium enrichment rights.
In another Truth Social post, Trump emphasized, “I won’t let them force the U.S. to choose the worst deal.” He further stated, “Time is not on my side.”
Analysts interpret these comments as a strategy to pressure Iran into a tougher negotiation by highlighting the risks of a suboptimal outcome.
