Former U.S. President Barack Obama, on Saturday evening at a midterm campaign rally in Ohio, heavily criticized President Donald Trump's war against Iran and his economic policies. According to Ettelaat's report citing CNN, Obama said, "Sometimes factors beyond a president's control can undermine the best-laid plans; but that's not the case here. This government's actions are directly responsible for rising costs."
Obama stated that Trump failed to deliver on most of the campaign promises he made when returning to the White House in 2024: "He started an unnecessary war against Iran that nobody wanted and that the American people didn't vote for." According to Ettelaat's report, seven months after the war began, Obama acknowledged that hundreds of Americans have been killed or wounded, and that U.S. missile stockpiles are being depleted, saying "The closure of the Strait of Hormuz is the reason for rising prices of gasoline, diesel and nearly everything in the U.S.; there's no doubt this has also driven up diesel prices." Obama further questioned the war's necessity, saying "Iran didn't have nuclear weapons, it wouldn't have even needed to fire a single missile," and said Trump had turned the White House into something like a Saddam Hussein palace with all the gilt.
According to Donya-e Eqtesad's fuller version citing CNN, Obama stated that increases in mortgage rates, healthcare, electricity and water bills, and interest rates have placed an economic burden on American families, and cited gas prices at four to five dollars per gallon and diesel exceeding six dollars per gallon. Criticizing Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as "frivolous," Obama characterized Hegseth's focus on topics like his jawline and soldiers' testosterone levels as an effort to cultivate "warrior masculinity." Obama concluded his remarks with a call for Democrats in Congress to show "real leadership" following November's midterm elections.
How the Persian press covered it
| Source (orientation) | Headline / framing |
|---|---|
| IRNA / Hamshahri (state news agency / municipality, principlist) | Framed the headline as "Tehran controls the Strait," presenting Obama as a source of admission within the U.S. |
| Donya-e Eqtesad (economic daily, technocratic) | Shifted emphasis to economics: used the headline "unnecessary war and wrong decisions are the cause of inflation in America." |
| Ettelaat (moderate-traditionalist) | Highlighted the confession "Iran didn't have nuclear weapons" and the Saddam's palace comparison. |
| Khabaronline (moderate conservative) | Directly framed the story as "Obama's admission," focusing on the statement that nuclear weapons were not present. |
Context
Obama's remarks came at a time when a bill in Congress to end the war against Iran on presidential authority failed with a vote of 212-212, and the war has become increasingly controversial in domestic politics; the phrase "Strait of Hormuz veto" aligns with a framework already in use in English-language media since March ("Strait of Hormuz veto unacceptable"). Trump had said the ceasefire was "on life support" and threatened to "destroy" Iran's energy plants if the strait did not reopen; he also said at a rally that when the war is won he will declare the Hormuz "U.S. territory," while Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister responded that the strait would remain "Iran's." Oil prices exceeding $117 are also part of the same war economy picture. The Democrats' midterm strategy of emphasizing the war's costs and cost-of-living increases is the true political aim of Obama's speech; these statements should therefore be read as a party leader's campaign rhetoric, not as an independent military assessment.
