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Ro Khanna defends Obama’s Iran deal
Khanna rebuts President Trump as tensions rise after U.S. strikes on Iran.
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Rwittika Chakraborty - Wed, 18, Mar 2026
- 01:58 EDT
- 13
Ro Khanna / Ro Khanna website
U.S. Representative Ro Khanna has defended the 2015 Iran nuclear pact in an X thread, arguing that diplomacy under former U.S. President Barack Obama was more effective at constraining Iran’s nuclear program than current military escalation.
In the thread, Khanna pushed back against recent criticism of the Obama-era deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and framed it as a successful example of efficient diplomacy that limited Iran’s nuclear capabilities through inspections and restrictions.
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Khanna’s comments come amid renewed tensions following U.S. military action against Iran and claims by Donald Trump that the agreement enabled Tehran to pursue nuclear weapons. Khanna disputed that narrative, emphasizing that the deal imposed strict limits and oversight.
Arguing that the Obama administration’s Iran policy relied on diplomacy that imposed limits and inspections on Iran’s nuclear program, Khanna wrote on X,
“We were safer then than we are now. And we would have been safer had Trump finalized the deal he was negotiating last month.”
Khanna mentioned that prior to the JCPOA, Iran had 11,000 kg of enriched uranium up to 20 percent, which meant a breakout time was two to three months.
He stated that with the JCPOA, Iran was allowed to possess 300 kg of uranium enriched to no more than 3.67 percent, leading to a breakout time of 12 months.
“The cap on enrichment would have lasted 15 years. That means a framework to deny Iran the bomb for 15 years,” wrote Khanna.
In his thread, Khanna opined that negotiations were working prior to the U.S. exit and suggested that abandoning diplomacy increased global risk.
According to Khanna, following Trump’s withdrawal, by 2025, Iran had over 6,000 kg of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent, narrowing the breakout time to one or two weeks.
“Trump literally caused this crisis by ripping up the JCPOA with no alternative. Maximum pressure did not work,” he wrote.
Khanna stated that currently, it is not known where the enriched uranium is, and in particular, where the 400 kg of 60 percent enriched uranium is.
“Though it is suspected to be buried underneath one of the nuclear sites bombed by the U.S. There is no evidence that the strikes in June or now have destroyed this,” claimed Khanna.
Khanna noted that the ‘only solution’ now is ‘statesmanship’ and ‘diplomacy,’ and concluded,
“The only solution for anyone that truly cares about Iran not being nuclear is statesmanship and diplomacy, facilitated by nations like Oman, to deny them nuclear enrichment. They also pose no imminent threat to our homeland as they have no ICBM.”
The X thread quickly gained traction online, highlighting a broader political clash over whether diplomacy or military pressure is the more effective strategy in dealing with Iran.
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