Kamala Harris says if she were president, Iran war would look very different

“This is a president who has proven himself to be entirely self-indulgent,” said the former U.S. vice president while speaking in Vienna, Austria.

Former Vice President Kamala Harris issued a strong rebuke of President Donald Trump‘s costly war in Iran, noting that if she were president of the United States, things would look a lot different today.

While speaking at the annual Austria World Summit hosted by Arnold Schwarzenegger in Vienna, Harris was asked if she were elected president, over her 2024 opponent, would the U.S. military operation in Iran have happened, to which a gleeful Harris said, “So, are we going to have this conversation? I’m happy to.”

“First of all, this is a war the American people did not want. This is a war of choice. This is a president who has proven himself to be entirely self-indulgent. And we will see what happens in the coming hours and days in terms of the negotiation,” said the 2024 Democratic presidential nominee.

The Trump administration has reportedly secured a memorandum of understanding with Iranian leaders, which includes a preliminary agreement to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which has been blocked by Iranians, disrupting the daily flow of oil tankers and driving up global gas prices — most especially in the U.S., where the average gas price per gallon is $4.

Harris dismissed the MOU as “a concept of an agreement,” telling the audience in Austria, “There is no question that there is a direct correlation between this war of choice and what has happened in terms of gas prices.” The rumored 2028 presidential candidate continued, “It is estimated the average American has spent, since the war started, $500 more because of this war. And I will add to that number to put it in context. The average American is $400 away from bankruptcy for any unexpected expense. So $400 of an unexpected expense could result in bankruptcy for the average American.”

When asked again if the Iran war would be happening today if she were president, Harris said, “Absolutely not!”

The former U.S. vice president added, “Let’s be clear about this…Whatever is being negotiated, this president is going to declare victory, and we’ll end up where we were after the JCPOA and call that a victory.” Harris referred to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the 2015 Iran nuclear deal secured by former President Barack Obama, that put limits on Iran’s nuclear program but allowed low production of nuclear energy for civilian and medical purposes. The agreement allowed the U.S. to monitor Iran’s energy production, with the threat of sanctions if Iran violated it.

As theGrio previously reported, Obama’s nuclear deal looms large over Trump’s negotiations with Iran, as critics say Trump’s decision to terminate the deal in 2018 was unnecessary and caused more harm than good. Experts note Obama’s deal worked because it emphasized diplomacy with Iran rather than force, and had the buy-in of neighboring Arab nations. Trump’s working deal with Iran has not been publicly supported by other Middle Eastern countries, which foreign policy experts note is critical to the region’s longstanding peace.

During a recent interview with Robin Roberts on “Good Morning America,” President Obama said he is “doubtful” Trump’s deal will look any different than his 2015 agreement. Obama defended his deal for working “for a long stretch of time before we, the United States, pulled out of it.”

“I’m hopeful that bombing stops, and ordinary people are no longer suffering as a consequence of the war,” said Obama.

He continued, “Then, in retrospect, it’s a reminder that on a lot of difficult foreign policy problems, the notion that we can just bully our way or bomb our way to solutions may sometimes seem appealing, but the fact of the matter is, is that taking the time to explore diplomacy and exhaust the possibilities of coming up with deals that don’t solve 100% of the problem, but solve 80, 90% of the problem, all avoiding the necessity of going to war.”

The 44th President of the United States added, “You’d think we would have learned that lesson by now, but it seems like every so often we have to relearn that lesson again.”