Overview
- Obama said Saturday in an NBC interview that the United States may have come out of the conflict with Iran in a worse position than before the fighting began.
- He praised the reported ceasefire and the memorandum that reportedly gives negotiators 60 days to pursue a broader deal, and he said he hopes the pause will hold.
- Obama blamed the 2018 U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal for removing limits and inspections that had constrained Iran’s nuclear activity.
- He said the war cost "billions and billions" of dollars, put severe strain on the U.S. military, and caused loss of life while leaving the strategic picture largely unchanged.
- The 2015 JCPOA set limits on enrichment and created an inspection regime, and the current short-term agreement does not yet answer how long-term monitoring or legal restraints on Iran’s program will be restored.