Obama says Trump launched 'unnecessary' war with Iran

“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.