Obama Blames Trump For ‘Unnecessary Iran War’ Driving Up Fuel Prices: ‘Nobody Asked For It’

Former US President Barack Obama has accused President Donald Trump of starting an unnecessary war with Iran that nobody asked for, saying it is responsible for the rising cost of living in America.

Speaking on Saturday in Cleveland, Ohio, where he rallied in support of former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown, Obama said Trump made a series of bad decisions.

“The current president chose to make a series of bad decisions,” Obama said, according to AFP.

“Most importantly, he decided to start an unnecessary war that nobody asked for,” he declared.

Obama said after two years of chaos under Trump, Americans now have a chance to reject him at the midterms.

“After two years of chaos and cruelty and corruption and incompetence, the likes of which we have not seen in the modern era, you get a chance to say, ‘Enough is enough,’” Obama said. “We are voting for change right here in Ohio.”

He linked the war on Iran directly to soaring fuel and commodity prices.

“Iran war is the reason why the price of just about everything is up,” he said.

“Iran now has veto power over the Strait of Hormuz, where oil goes through to the world market. This is the reason why the price of oil is up. This is the reason why the price of diesel is up. This is the reason why the price of just about everything is up.”

Obama defended his 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), under which Iran agreed to restrict uranium enrichment and accept inspections in exchange for sanctions relief. Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018 during his first term.

“Iran didn’t have nuclear weapons because I had put a deal in place that everybody acknowledged kept them from getting nukes. And I didn’t have to fire a missile to do it. I just had to engage in diplomacy,” Obama said.

He urged voters not to wait: “Don’t procrastinate, don’t equivocate.”

The Ohio rally is part of a final push for Democrats ahead of the November 3 midterm elections that will decide control of Congress.