March 13, 2026 9:39 am

Trump Reverses Obama on Iran

There’s no doubt that Trump’s vision of the Middle East is more in keeping with U.S. interests than Obama’s.

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Left: President Donald Trump speaks during a press briefing at the White House, in Washington, D.C., February 20, 2026. Right: Then–President Barack Obama delivers a statement at the White House in Washington, D.C., January 17, 2016, after lifting nuclear-related sanctions on Iran.

Kevin Lamarque, Yuri Gripas/Reuters

Donald Trump has always been the anti-Obama.

He rose in opposition to President Obama and has reversed many of his Democratic predecessor’s policies. But perhaps no Trump undertaking runs so directly counter to Obama’s approach than the Iran war.