President Donald Trump has sharply criticized former President Barack Obama’s nuclear agreement with Iran, blaming the deal for bringing Tehran close to developing a nuclear weapon.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, February 27, before departing the White House for Corpus Christi, Texas and later after arriving, Trump said Washington is currently negotiating with Iran but warned that Tehran has failed to meet core demands by the U.S.
“We’re negotiating right now, but they’re not getting to the right answer,” Trump said. “They cannot have nuclear weapons.”
Trump said he was “not happy” with the direction of the negotiations following another inconclusive round of indirect talks between U.S. and Iranian envoys in Geneva. Technical discussions are expected to continue in Vienna next week.
“I’m not happy with the fact that they’re not willing to give us what we have to have. I’m not thrilled with that. We’ll see what happens,” the president told reporters. “We’re not exactly happy with the way they’re negotiating.”
Trump indicated he is willing to give negotiators more time in hopes of reaching an agreement that could prevent another conflict in the Middle East. However, he also warned that war remains a possibility if diplomacy fails.
“I guess you could say there’s always a risk,” Trump said when asked about the possibility of a drawn-out conflict if the United States strikes Iran. “You know, when there’s war, there’s a risk of anything, both good and bad.”
Trump blames Obama deal
Trump used the remarks to strongly criticize the Obama-era nuclear agreement, arguing that the deal would have allowed Iran to eventually obtain nuclear weapons if the United States had remained part of it.
According to the president, the agreement was too short-term and would have expired by now even if he had not withdrawn from it during his first term.
“The Obama deal was the worst. Nobody ever saw a deal so stupid. Right now, if you did the Obama deal — if that held, if I didn’t terminate it — Iran would have a nuclear weapon, and it would be a whole different ballgame. That Obama deal was one of the worst, one of the dumbest deals I’ve ever seen.”
Trump argued that ending the agreement prevented Iran from advancing further toward nuclear capability.
“But if I didn’t [terminate it], it would be over by now anyway,” he added.
The president said the main obstacle in the current negotiations is Iran’s refusal to abandon uranium enrichment fully, insisting that Tehran must explicitly commit to never developing nuclear weapons.
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He also rejected Iran’s insistence that it has the right to enrich uranium for civilian nuclear energy.
“They want to enrich a little bit. You don’t have to enrich when you have that much oil,” Trump said after arriving in Texas.
Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program is intended solely for peaceful purposes and has demanded relief from heavy international sanctions in exchange for limits on its activities rather than a complete shutdown.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said after the Geneva talks that Tehran had clearly communicated its position but did not provide details.
Iran has consistently insisted on maintaining limited enrichment rights under any future agreement.
Rising tensions
Trump’s remarks came amid signs of rising tensions in the region and growing concerns that negotiations could collapse.
American forces have been building up in the Middle East as Washington pressures Tehran to agree to stricter limits on its nuclear activities.
Trump suggested that the United States has tolerated Iranian actions for decades and warned that patience may be running out.
“For 47 years we’ve been doing this with them,” he said. “They’ve been blowing the legs off our people, blowing the face off our people, the arms.”
“They’ve been knocking out ships one by one. Every month there’s something else, so you can’t put up with it too long.”
When asked how close he was to deciding on a military strike against Iran, Trump while declining to give a clear answer said, “I’d rather not tell you.”
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The president spoke after Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who has been mediating between Washington and Tehran, met U.S. Vice President JD Vance on Friday to discuss the negotiations.
“I am grateful for their engagement and look forward to further and decisive progress in the coming days,” al-Busaidi said in a statement on X. “Peace is within our reach.”
The talks in Geneva ended without a deal, but both sides agreed to continue technical discussions in Vienna next week.
Rubio to visit Israel
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to travel to Israel early next week to discuss Iran and broader regional issues.
The State Department said Rubio will visit on Monday and Tuesday for talks covering Iran, Lebanon, and efforts to advance Trump’s 20-Point Peace Plan for Gaza.
The visit comes as Washington weighs its options and monitors developments in the region.
In a statement on Friday, the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem authorized the voluntary departure of nonessential personnel and family members, allowing eligible staff to leave Israel at government expense.
“In response to security incidents and without advance notice, the U.S. Embassy may further restrict or prohibit U.S. government employees and their family members from traveling to certain areas of Israel, the Old City of Jerusalem, and the West Bank. Persons may wish to consider leaving Israel while commercial flights are available.”
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee warned that outbound flights may not remain available in the coming days, even as he encouraged airlines to continue operations.
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