Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Tuesday, Nov 11, 2025

National security adviser calls Iran nuke agreement 'worst diplomatic deal since the Munich appeasement'

National security adviser calls Iran nuke agreement 'worst diplomatic deal since the Munich appeasement'

The 2015 Iran nuclear deal was the worst diplomatic compact since the 1938 Munich Agreement, National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien told "The Story" Thursday.


He was responding to remarks by former Secretary of State John Kerry during Tuesday's proceedings at the Democratic National Convention.

"John Kerry and the JCPOA [nuclear deal] gave Iran $150 billion in sanctions relief. That was the Obama-Biden administration," O'Brien told host Martha MacCallum. "Iran spent that money not on its own people, not to build a middle class in Iran. They spent it on terrorist activities in Lebanon, and Syria, and Iraq, in Yemen, so the JCPOA was no great deal. In fact, it was the worst diplomatic deal since the Munich appeasement in 1938."

The Munich Agreement, reached by Nazi Germany, Great Britain, France and Italy allowed Hitler's troops to annex Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland and is remembered today as a classic case of diplomatic appeasement.

Trump withdrew the U.S. from the nuclear deal in 2018, provoking criticism from former advisors to President Barack Obama On Thursday, O'Brien indicated that the Obama administration had dropped the ball when it came to combatting ISIS in the Middle East.

"Secretary Kerry's comments were ironic in that ISIS was running a caliphate the size of Great Britain across Syria and Iraq when he left office," he said. "The Iran deal contributed to that. The precipitous withdrawal of American troops from Iraq precipitated ISIS, Americans were killed ... brutally executed by ISIS, and it took Donald Trump to bring justice to Baghdadi," he said, referring to former ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

"It took Donald Trump to destroy the ISIS caliphate."

Since the U.S. left the deal, Iran has denounced the U.S. and engaged in several provocations in the region. On Thursday, Tehran unveiled two new missiles, one of which was named after Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in an airstrike ordered by Trump earlier this year.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Unveils Middle East Reset: Syria Re-engaged, Saudi Ties Amplified
Saudi Arabia to Build Future Cities Designed with Tourists in Mind, Says Tourism Minister
Saudi Arabia Advances Regulated Stablecoin Plans with Global Crypto Exchange Support
Saudi Arabia Maintains Palestinian State Condition Ahead of Possible Israel Ties
Chinese Steel Exports Surge 41% to Saudi Arabia as Mills Pivot Amid Global Trade Curbs
Saudi Arabia’s Biban Forum 2025 Secures Over US$10 Billion in Deals Amid Global SME Drive
Saudi Arabia Sets Pre-Conditions for Israel Normalisation Ahead of Trump Visit
MrBeast’s ‘Beast Land’ Arrives in Riyadh as Part of Riyadh Season 2025
Cristiano Ronaldo Asserts Saudi Pro League Outperforms Ligue 1 Amid Scoring Feats
AI Researchers Claim Human-Level General Intelligence Is Already Here
Saudi Arabia Pauses Major Stretch of ‘The Line’ Megacity Amid Budget Re-Prioritisation
Saudi Arabia Launches Instant e-Visa Platform for Over 60 Countries
Dick Cheney, Former U.S. Vice President, Dies at 84
Saudi Crown Prince to Visit Trump at White House on November Eighteenth
Trump Predicts Saudi Arabia Will Normalise with Israel Ahead of 18 November Riyadh Visit
Entrepreneurial Momentum in Saudi Arabia Shines at Riyadh Forward 2025 Summit
Saudi Arabia to Host First-Ever International WrestleMania in 2027
Saudi Arabia to Host New ATP Masters Tournament from 2028
Trump Doubts Saudi Demand for Palestinian State Before Israel Normalisation
Viral ‘Sky Stadium’ for Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup Debunked as AI-Generated
Deal Between Saudi Arabia and Israel ‘Virtually Impossible’ This Year, Kingdom Insider Says
Saudi Crown Prince to Visit Washington While Israel Recognition Remains Off-Table
Saudi Arabia Poised to Channel Billions into Syria’s Reconstruction as U.S. Sanctions Linger
Smotrich’s ‘Camels’ Remark Tests Saudi–Israel Normalisation Efforts
Saudi Arabia and Qatar Gain Structural Edge in Asian World Cup Qualification
Israeli Energy Minister Delays $35 Billion Gas Export Agreement with Egypt
Fincantieri and Saudi Arabia Agree to Build Advanced Maritime Ecosystem in Kingdom
Saudi Arabia’s HUMAIN Accelerates AI Ambitions Through Major Partnerships and Infrastructure Push
IOC and Saudi Arabia End Ambitious 12-Year Esports Games Partnership
CSL Seqirus Signs Saudi Arabia Pact to Provide Cell-Based Flu Vaccines and Build Local Production
Qualcomm and Saudi Arabia’s HUMAIN Team Up to Deploy 200 MW AI Infrastructure
Saudi Arabia’s Economy Expands Five Percent in Third Quarter Amid Oil Output Surge
China’s Vice President Han Zheng Meets Saudi Crown Prince as Trade Concerns Loom
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
Wave of Complaints Against Apple Over iPhone 17 Pro’s Scratch Sensitivity
Syria Holds First Elections Since Fall of Assad
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
×