Obama Says 2015 Iran Deal Was Secured ‘Without Firing a Missile or Closing Hormuz’

Former US President Barack Obama has defended the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, saying his administration achieved.

The agreement through diplomacy without resorting to military action or triggering wider regional conflict. Speaking on ‘The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’, Obama said the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) successfully curbed Iran’s nuclear ambitions while avoiding war. “We pulled it off without firing a missile,” he said, describing the deal as a carefully negotiated diplomatic breakthrough.

Obama said the agreement led to a major reduction in Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile while allowing the country to continue a limited civilian nuclear programme under strict international oversight.

“We got 97% of their enriched uranium out. They were able to maintain a modest civilian nuclear programme for energy,” he said.

The former president also pointed to intelligence assessments at the time, claiming the deal had broad backing among security agencies. “Even Israeli intelligence thought it was working. Even our intelligence services thought it was working,” Obama added.

Highlighting the broader geopolitical impact, Obama said the agreement prevented a large-scale conflict in the Middle East. “We didn’t have to kill a whole bunch of people or shut down the Strait of Hormuz,” he remarked, referring to the crucial global oil transit route.

The JCPOA was signed in 2015 between Iran and six world powers — the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia and China. Under the agreement, Iran accepted strict limits on uranium enrichment, sharply reduced its stockpile of enriched uranium and allowed international inspectors to monitor its nuclear facilities in exchange for sanctions relief.

The deal remained in place until 2018, when then-US President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from the agreement, calling it a “one-sided deal”.