Obama: New Iran Nuclear Deal Unlikely to Be Significantly Better Than Previous One

Former U.S. President Barack Obama has predicted that any future nuclear deal between the United States and Iran, following their recent agreement to end hostilities, is unlikely to be significantly better than the original Iran nuclear deal that his administration brokered 11 years ago before it was scrapped by President Donald Trump.

In an exclusive interview with ABC News, partially released on June 14 (local time), the former president stated, "I am skeptical that any deal that comes out will be significantly different or a major improvement compared to the deal we initially reached."

The Obama administration signed the nuclear deal with Iran in July 2015, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The agreement involved Iran reducing its nuclear materials and production facilities and placing its nuclear sites under international oversight in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions.

However, President Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal in 2018, and Iran has since scaled back its compliance with the agreement.

Former President Obama particularly emphasized that international issues cannot be resolved through military force rather than diplomacy.

"It serves as a reminder that even if threats or bombings might seem appealing (in this war), they cannot be the solution," Obama pointed out.

He added, "Even if a (diplomatic) agreement does not solve 100% of the problem, I believe the lesson learned here is that it can solve 80 to 90% of it, and we must avoid war."

This interview was conducted before news of the agreement to end hostilities between the United States and Iran was reported.

(Photo: Getty Images)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.