Former US President Barack Obama accused President Donald Trump of launching an unnecessary war with Iran that had left Tehran in a stronger strategic position, killed American troops and pushed up prices.
Speaking at a campaign rally in Michigan on Saturday, Obama challenged the administration’s claims of victory, saying the conflict had exposed US allies and bases to attacks while giving Iran greater control over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
“The current president chose to make a series of bad decisions,” Obama said. “The most important of which was he decided to start an unnecessary war nobody asked for and nobody voted for.”
He contrasted Trump’s decision to go to war with his own administration’s nuclear diplomacy, saying Iran did not possess nuclear weapons and that the 2015 agreement reached during his presidency had curbed its nuclear program.
“I didn’t have to fire a missile. I engaged in diplomacy,” Obama said.
Questioning what the military campaign had achieved, Obama said seven months had passed since the war began and six since the administration declared victory.
“Seven months later, how’s that war going?” he asked.
“Our allies and bases have been attacked,” Obama said.
He argued that Iran’s ability to disrupt the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global oil shipments, had strengthened its strategic position.
“Iran now has veto power over the Strait of Hormuz,” he said. “So they’re in a stronger strategic position now than before the war started.”
He blamed the administration’s decision to launch the war for rising oil and diesel prices and broader increases in living costs.