Obama says 'doubtful' that any Iran deal will be different than past
Former President Barack Obama is sharing his thoughts on President Donald Trump’s handling of Iran, saying recently that he is skeptical that real progress will be made.
Obama spoke with “Good Morning America” co-anchor Robin Roberts on Saturday, one day prior to Trump’s announcement that the United States and Iran had reached a deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the U.S. naval blockade.
The exact points of the deal remain unclear. A senior administration official told reporters Friday that it would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and lead to "the dismantling" of Iran's nuclear program and the U.S. getting Iran's highly enriched uranium.
The expected deal comes eight years after Trump withdrew the U.S. from a previous nuclear agreement with Iran – led by the Obama administration in 2015 – that Trump described at the time of withdrawal as the “worst deal ever.”
In the interview Saturday, ahead of the new deal being announced, Obama told Roberts that he was “doubtful” any deal with Iran put forward by the Trump administration would be “significantly different” from the 2015 deal that his administration put in place.
"It is doubtful that any agreement that arises is going to be significantly different or a significant improvement from the deal that we had in the first place and had worked for, for a long stretch of time before we, the United States, pulled out of it," Obama told Roberts in the interview, which took place at the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago.
Tune into “Good Morning America” on Wednesday, June 17, from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. on ABC for more of Robin Roberts’ interview with former President Barack Obama.
Obama also expressed hope that the fighting in the region would come to an end and urged policymakers to prioritize diplomacy over military action.
"I'm hopeful that bombing stops and ordinary people are no longer suffering as a consequence of the war," he continued. "Then in retrospect it's a reminder that on a lot of difficult foreign policy problems -- the notion that we can just bully our way or bomb our way to solutions -- may sometimes seem appealing, but the fact of the matter is that taking the time to explore diplomacy and exhaust the possibilities of coming up with deals that don't solve 100% of the problem but solve 80%, 90% of the problem while avoiding the necessity of going to war."
"You'd think we would've learned that lesson by now," he continued. "But it seems like every so often we have to relearn that lesson again."
Trump first announced "major combat operations" against Iran on Feb. 28, with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes targeting military, government and infrastructure sites.
After an initial ceasefire and unsuccessful U.S.-Iran talks in Pakistan in April, negotiations continued as the ceasefire was extended.
Following Trump’s June 14 announcement on social media that a new deal had been reached, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi confirmed the deal had been finalized and said it would be signed in Switzerland on Friday.
"All of our positions and important issues are included in the draft understanding," Gharibabadi said in a statement to Iranian state media.
Tune into “Good Morning America” on Wednesday, June 17, from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. on ABC for more of Robin Roberts’ interview with former President Barack Obama.
