Former US President Barack Obama again defended diplomacy as an approach towards Iran amid rising tensions between Washington and Tehran, News.bg reports.
He pointed to the 2015 nuclear agreement as proof that Iran's nuclear ambitions can be limited without military action, Wion reports.
In a television appearance, Obama commented on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) - a treaty reached during his term. He said the goal was to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons through controls on uranium enrichment and international verification mechanisms.
“We managed to achieve it without firing a single missile“, he said, adding that the agreement was achieved through diplomacy and control, not military force.
The nuclear deal was signed between Iran and world powers, including the United States, Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom and Germany. It limited Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief and international controls.
Obama stressed that while military options had been considered, they remained a last resort. He described Iran as a country with dangerous actions in the region, but said its leadership had an instinct for self-preservation that made diplomacy possible.
According to him, the agreement had worked, limiting its nuclear program and preventing escalation in the region, including closing the Strait of Hormuz.
The agreement remained in force until 2018, when the United States withdrew from it at the decision of President Donald Trump, who described it as ineffective.
Iran then gradually expanded its nuclear program, increasing uranium enrichment levels to significantly higher levels than originally agreed.
Critics of the agreement argue that it only slowed Iran's nuclear development, without stopping it completely. For his part, Trump continues to push for a stricter new agreement, emphasizing that Iran must not have highly enriched uranium.
Tensions between the United States and Iran remain high amid periodic clashes and diplomatic attempts at de-escalation.