WASHINGTON ¨C Former U.S. President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that President Donald Trump¡¯s decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, struck during Obama¡¯s presidency, was ¡°misguided.¡±
¡°I believe that the decision to put the JCPOA at risk without any Iranian violation of the deal is a serious mistake,¡± Obama said in a statement, referring to the acronym for the agreement worked out by the United States, five other world powers and Iran.
Since leaving office in January 2017, Obama, a Democrat, has largely remained on the sidelines of the political debate, although he has criticized his Republican successor¡¯s efforts to undo some of his major policy achievements.
He has condemned Trump for pulling out of the Paris climate accord and for ending a program that shielded from deportation immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children. He also spoke out against Trump¡¯s effort to unravel the Obamacare health care program.
Obama said the Iran agreement significantly rolled back Tehran¡¯s nuclear program and was a model for a possible deal Trump hopes to negotiate with North Korea to eliminate Pyongyang¡¯s nuclear weapons.
¡°That is why today¡¯s announcement is so misguided,¡± Obama said.
¡°Walking away from the JCPOA turns our back on America¡¯s closest allies, and an agreement that our country¡¯s leading diplomats, scientists, and intelligence professionals negotiated,¡± he said.
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