Former President Barack Obama gave a speech in Michigan and attacked the Trump administration over the Iran War. Gone are the days when former presidents would not criticize their successors, but Obama never played by the rules. Worse, the speech was full of lies.
First, he said that the original rationale for the Iran War was to get Iran to give up “their nuclear program or nuclear weapons.” Then he said, “Iran didn’t have nuclear weapons because I put a deal in place that everybody acknowledged kept them from getting nukes.”
The rationale for the war was primarily Iran’s missile program, since the Twelve Day War set back Iran’s nuclear program significantly, though Iran’s existing stockpile of 60-percent enriched uranium remains a concern. And despite what Obama said, nobody claimed that Iran had nuclear weapons.
Most importantly, not everybody agrees that Obama’s deal kept Iran from getting nuclear weapons, which is why 58 Senators, including Democrats, voted to disapprove of it at the time. Don’t take my words for it. Obama himself told NPR that when the deal would expire in 2030—four years from now—Iran would have been two to three months away from having nuclear weapons.
Then he went on to criticize the administration for running down our munitions stocks, which is true. But also, it is good to ask: What were those stocks worth anyway? If we ran out after a month against Iran, how long would they last against China? Our stocks were so low because we did not buy enough of what we needed for more than a decade, beginning with the Pentagon budget cuts under Obama himself. Point the finger at yourself, Obama.
And then Obama said that Iran has veto power over the Strait of Hormuz. First, the Strait of Hormuz is mostly open now, though not to the prewar levels. But also, Iran did not acquire the capabilities to close the strait overnight. Iran closed the strait mostly via suicide drone attacks, and Iran set up its drone program during the Obama administration, which Obama did nothing about. Since the Obama administration, Iran had been threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz, which it had done before, and it acquired the necessary capabilities. Obama did nothing to stop that.
A war between the United States and Iran was bound to happen. In fact, the Biden administration increased attacks on Iran’s proxies. On the other hand, Iran had been attacking U.S. forces and its partners over the past two decades and increasing its military capabilities. It is true that the Obama nuclear agreement delayed—and did not stop—Iran’s nuclear program, but it did nothing about the rest of Iran’s aggressions, both its direct threats and proxies. Under these circumstances, history shows that sooner or later war breaks out.
But where are we with Iran? Obama says that we are in a worse position. Not so fast. We have significantly degraded Iran’s military capabilities, and transit through the Strait of Hormuz is going up. And it is not over. Sure, Iran might pull a new trick out of the hat, or it could lose. But it is irresponsible of Obama to call it a failure as the war is still going on—even more so since it is succeeding. Imagine how our troops currently deployed feel when they hear that from the former commander in chief, that their efforts are worthless while they are seeing the success they are having. All to get Abdul El Sayed elected!
By Chuck Warren