Former President Barack Obama stated that it is "doubtful" President Donald Trump's forthcoming agreement with Iran will differ significantly from the 2015 nuclear deal established during his administration. In an interview with ABC News, Obama indicated that any agreement reached by the Trump administration would likely resemble the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which Trump withdrew from in 2018.
Obama remarked, "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."
Trump has suggested that the U.S. is nearing an agreement with Tehran, asserting that any deal produced by his administration would be stronger than the previous framework. He criticized the 2015 agreement, stating, "Unlike Obama’s Hundreds of Billions of Dollars in payments to them, including 1.7 Billion Dollars in green, cold cash, no money will exchange hands."
The 2015 nuclear agreement, negotiated by the U.S., Iran, and five other nations, imposed restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. Following the U.S. withdrawal, Trump reimposed sanctions on Iran through a "maximum pressure" campaign.
Obama defended the use of diplomacy in addressing Iran’s nuclear ambitions, emphasizing the limitations of military force. He stated, "The fact of the matter is 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 have learned that lesson by now."
The Trump administration has rejected comparisons between the emerging agreement and the JCPOA. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed that the key difference lies in the leverage created through military action against Iran, stating, "We bombed Iran and then put in a blockade... to ensure that they come to the table for a great deal." Hegseth asserted that the administration is negotiating "from a position of strength" while maintaining military pressure on Tehran as discussions progress.
Under the proposed deal, which is currently under review by Tehran, Iran would agree to cease all nuclear ambitions and engage with Washington to find a path for the removal of all remaining uranium from the country.