Denouncing President Donald Trump's recent actions to dismantle the Iran nuclear deal as "upending the trust and credibility of the United States," former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said we are giving Iran "the aggrieved party spotlight," making the U.S. "look foolish and small."
"If Iran is complying, then we are giving Iran the spotlight, the aggrieved party spotlight," Clinton told CNN's "Fareed Zakaria GPS." "It makes us look foolish and small and plays right into Iranian hands."
That was the second of Clinton's three reasons President Trump's effort to decertify the Iran nuclear agreement is "very dangerous" and "sends the wrong message," she told Zakaria on Sunday.
"First of all, it basically says America's word is not good – that even in the absence of evidence that Iran is not complying with the Iran nuclear deal – that this president is going to upend it," she told Zakaria. "That is bad not just on the merits for this particular situation, but it sends a message across the globe that America's word is not good.
"We have different presidents and this particular president, I think, is up ending the kind of trust and credibility of the United States' position and negotiation that is imperative to maintain."
Clinton's third point is the Iran nuclear deal has "put a lid on Iran's nuclear program" and undoing it effectively increases the likelihood of having to deal with a second nuclear threat in the addition of the one ongoing with North Korea.
"It doesn't mean Iran isn't engaging in other bad behavior, which we always knew," Clinton admitted. "I began the negotiations on the Iran deal. I got the sanctions through the Security Council as Secretary of State. I know that Iran plays a game of aggressiveness and undermining of our interests and the interests in the region. There's no argument about that.
My point has been and remains, I would much rather deal with Iran's other bad behavior, while not worrying at this point about their nuclear program getting up and going again. And why on Earth would we want two nuclear challenges in Iran and North Korea at the same time?"
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