Obama Warns U.S. May Be ‘Worse Off’ Now Than Before Iran War

Former president questions rationale for Trump’s military campaign, says 2015 nuclear deal had kept Tehran from pursuing weapons

By [Staff Writer] | September 10, 2026

CHICAGO — Former President Barack Obama said the United States may be “worse off” now than before President Donald Trump launched the war on Iran in February, delivering a sharp critique of the administration’s handling of the conflict in an interview that aired Friday on NBC’s “TODAY” show.

“We’ve now fought a war, spent billions and billions of dollars, put enormous strain on our military. A lot of people have died. And it feels like we’re back where we were before we started the war, except maybe a little bit worse off,” Obama told co-host Craig Melvin.

The interview was conducted ahead of the public opening of the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago, which features an exhibit dedicated to the Iran nuclear agreement brokered during his administration.

Obama Questions Original Rationale for War

Obama said he was relieved to see a ceasefire but questioned why the war was fought in the first place, noting that the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) had already achieved the objective of preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

“I am very happy to see a ceasefire. And I’m hopeful that it holds,” Obama said. “But in terms of what was the original rationale for this war, which was — there was a deal in place in which Iran had agreed not to develop nuclear weapons. This administration, or a prior version of this administration, pulled out of it, which caused then Iran to develop more nuclear capacity”.

Trump withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018 during his first term, despite international observers saying at the time that Iran was complying with the agreement, which also involved the European Union, Russia, China, the U.K., France, and Germany.

New Agreement Draws Bipartisan Criticism

Trump signed a 14-point memorandum of understanding with Tehran on Wednesday, setting a 60-day deadline for negotiators to reach a more permanent deal to end the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a major oil trading channel.

The agreement has drawn criticism from across the political spectrum. Democrats have slammed it as a total surrender to Iran, while Republican lawmakers have raised concerns about provisions to unfreeze Iranian assets, remove sanctions, allow Iran to sell oil, and provide at least $300 billion for Iran’s reconstruction. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) told NewsNation she does not “want to see JCPOA 2.0”.

Israeli officials have also called the agreement a “surrender” and “total capitulation”.

The JCPOA laid out detailed steps for Tehran to take over more than 25 years with the aim of restricting Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. The current MOU does not fully address the fate of the country’s nuclear program and instead commits to further negotiations.

Talks Postponed as Tensions Persist

Despite Trump signing the MOU at the Palace of Versailles this week, talks set to begin Friday were postponed, and Vice President JD Vance did not fly to Switzerland to kick off further negotiations.

Trump has defended the agreement, writing on Truth Social that it achieved his stated goal of an “unconditional surrender” from Iran. “We didn’t meet out of desperation, Iran did,” he wrote. “They are FINISHED! We’ll play out the 60 days. They get no money, not ten cents!”

The president also criticized Obama when speaking about his agreement, saying of his predecessor: “He tried to bribe his way out. I didn’t do that. Nobody mentions that. They laughed at Obama”.

Broader Concerns About Democracy

During the interview, Obama also reflected on the current political climate, saying he understands that people “feel as if our democracy, our civic habits and virtues, our shared understanding of how we treat each other has started to crumble”.

He said he hopes the presidential center and museum remind people “not of the past” but of “what’s inside all of us” — the capacity to feel a civic responsibility to make government work.