According to a video on NBC 4 News, on Saturday June 6, 2026, President Donald Trump launched a direct and forceful criticism of the Iran nuclear agreement signed during the Obama administration, describing it as one of the most damaging diplomatic agreements ever made by the United States, and one that he believes set Iran on a direct path toward acquiring nuclear weapons.
During the NBC News interview, Trump was asked to explain the history of his position on the deal and why he chose to withdraw from it rather than renegotiate its terms.
The president wasted no time in laying out his views, characterizing the agreement not as a safeguard but as a mechanism that effectively enabled Iran’s nuclear ambitions rather than containing them.
Trump explained that the deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, was structured in a way that granted Iran a degree of legitimacy and financial relief in exchange for what he described as temporary and insufficient restrictions on its nuclear program.
He argued that the agreement was always going to expire and that its short timeline made it a strategic gift to Tehran rather than a lasting protection for the international community.
In his words, President Trump said, “The JCPOA — that deal was, tantamount to giving them a nuclear weapon.
“It was a horrible deal given by Barack Obama. And really penned by him, it was a horrible deal. It was, you know, it expired long ago. It was a short-term deal. It was a road to a nuclear weapon,” he said.
Trump placed the blame squarely on former President Barack Obama, stating that the deal was personally designed by him and represented a fundamental failure of American leadership.
He argued that without his decision to withdraw, Iran would have been well within reach of nuclear capability years ago.
The president used the criticism as a foundation to explain his current approach to Iran, asserting that only strong and consistent pressure will produce a deal that genuinely protects American and global security interests.