Chris Matthews says it's fair to call Obama's Iran nuclear deal a 'joke'

Former MSNBC big Chris Matthews offered astonishing disapproval of erstwhile President Obama connected Friday aft Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched a sweeping strike connected Iran's atomic sites Thursday evening.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed that 1 of Iran’s apical atomic facilities had been deed successful the cognition intended to people Iran's atomic and rocket infrastructure. Two Iranian generals and astatine slightest 20 elder Iranian commanders were besides killed successful the strikes.

According to an IDF spokesman, the onslaught came aft Jerusalem had collected "high-quality intel" that suggested "Iran is person than ever to processing a nuke."

During an quality connected MSNBC's "Morning Joe" Friday, Matthews defended Israel's attack, saying the state "can't spend to person an assertive warfare by atomic weapons with Iran."

​​TRUMP SAYS ISRAEL’S NEXT IRAN ATTACK WILL BE EVEN MORE BRUTAL: ‘MAKE A DEAL’

Former MSNBC big Chris Matthews said President Trump was just to accidental erstwhile President Obama's Iran atomic woody was a "joke," connected MSNBC, June 13, 2025. (Getty Images)

"They person to halt them from having atomic weapons," helium said, earlier criticizing Obama's 2015 atomic deal with Iran that President Donald Trump withdrew from successful his archetypal term.

"Now, Obama said, ‘I’ll enactment a clip bounds connected it. ’They can’t person 1 for 5 years.' Well, reasonably enough, Trump said, 'That’s a joke. Five years, they’ll person one.' So that’s not going to halt them," Matthews said.

The disapproval of the erstwhile president is notable since Matthews is wide remembered for saying helium "felt a thrill" up his limb listening to then-candidate Obama talk during the 2008 election.

Obama's bureau did not instantly instrumentality Fox News Digital's petition for comment.

CHRIS MATTHEWS SUGGESTS TRUMP 'SMART' TO TARGET HARVARD AND ELITE UNIVERSITIES

Former President Barack Obama's Iran Nuclear Deal was criticized by erstwhile instrumentality and MSNBC big Chris Matthews. (AP2013)

Matthews continued connected Friday by discussing however Trump should deal with Iran: "So helium can’t marque a woody that says X galore years. He can’t travel retired and say, 'Okay, we're going to halt them from getting a limb for 5 years.' He’ll beryllium laughed astatine due to the fact that that’s what the Obama woody was. So helium has to truly get escaped of the bomb-making quality of that country." 

In 2018, Trump terminated the U.S. information successful the atomic woody with Iran, calling it "one of the worst and astir one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into."

Matthews said that Iran "wants to weaponry Israel," truthful destroying their quality to marque atomic weapons is the lone option.

"He’s got to halt them from their atomic route. He’s got to get them disconnected that way to thing else," the erstwhile "Hardball" big said of Trump.

"But I deliberation it’s an assertive warfare by Iran, and that’s wherefore radical are rooting for Israel successful this concern with Iran," Matthews added.

IRAN’S LONG TRAIL OF DECEPTION FUELS SKEPTICISM OVER NEW NUCLEAR DEAL AS TALKS CONTINUE

President Donald Trump told Fox News connected Friday that helium hopes Iran returns to the negotiating array but said that the US was not progressive successful the Israeli strikes. (Getty Images; AP)

On Thursday, Trump told Fox News that helium was alert beforehand that Israel was going to motorboat strikes arsenic helium urged Iran to marque a deal.

"Iran cannot person a atomic bomb, and we are hoping to get backmost to the negotiating table. We volition see. There are respective radical successful enactment successful Iran that volition not beryllium coming back," Trump said.

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Fox News' Caitlin McFall, Greg Wehner and Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.