Former President Barack Obama says the United States may be “worse off” after a war with Iran that began in February under President Donald Trump. In interviews referenced by several outlets, Obama argues that despite fighting the conflict and expending large sums of money, the country appears to have returned to the “status quo” or ended up in a poorer position than before the war started. He cites the financial cost, describing “billions and billions of dollars” spent, and says the war places “enormous strain” on the U.S. military. Obama also points to the human toll, saying “a lot of people have died.”
While Obama’s comments focus on the drawbacks of the conflict, at least one outlet reports that he expresses support for a ceasefire and hopes it holds. The sources do not provide detailed new data or specific outcomes of the war in their excerpts, but they consistently present Obama’s overall assessment that the net result is not an improvement for the United States compared with the period before the February outbreak of hostilities.
