Donald Trump took a shot at Barack Obama's nuclear deal with Iran by posting a meme that mocked the infamous deal while celebrating the recent military strikes.
As the United States launched what officials described as narrowly targeted 'self-defense strikes' inside Iran on Monday night, Trump drew comparisons between himself and his long-time rival.
In a post to his Truth Social page, Trump displayed a political cartoon meant to summarize both of their Iran policies.
Obama's deal was depicted as a pile of cash, representing the unfrozen assets he gave back to Iran as part of the Iran nuclear agreement. Trump 'tore up' that agreement during his first administration.
Trump's Iran policy was signified by the bombing of enemy ships and the display of the American flag, meant to convey the President's Iran excursion as a success.
The President has long raged against Obama's policy against Iran, once calling his nuclear agreement with Tehran 'a bad deal that sets a dangerous precedent.'
Back in 2015, he even criticized unfreezing the assets, saying Obama should have kept that money.
The Daily Mail has reached out to President Obama for comment.
Donald Trump took shots at Barack Obama's policies toward Iran, arguing with a cartoon that he vastly improved upon his predecessor's infamous deal with Tehran
The President has long raged against Obama's policy against Iran, once calling his nuclear agreement with Tehran 'a bad deal that sets a dangerous precedent'
Trump's criticism comes as the new strikes from the US escalate tensions in the region even as diplomats continued to push for a fragile ceasefire and broader peace talks.
According to US Central Command, American forces targeted missile launch sites in southern Iran as well as Iranian vessels attempting to lay naval mines in strategic waterways used by military and commercial ships.
'US forces conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,' CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins told Fox News in a statement.
'Targets included missile launch sites and Iranian boats attempting to emplace mines. U.S. Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire.'
Top Iranian negotiators were in Doha Monday for talks to end the war with the United States, even as both sides downplayed prospects of an imminent deal.
The US and Iran have held a fragile ceasefire since April 7. The stalemate has seen few small attacks since last month, though none have violated the ceasefire’s terms.
The hope of an accord in recent days was dealt a fresh blow when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to 'crush' Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
As the United States launched what officials described as narrowly targeted 'self-defense strikes' inside Iran on Monday night, Trump drew comparisons between himself and his long-time rival
Amid fresh threats and hurdles from the US-Israeli side, Trump enumerated pathways for Iran's enriched uranium, a key sticking point in efforts to end the war, in a separate post to Truth Social.
'The Enriched Uranium (Nuclear Dust!) will either be immediately turned over to the United States to be brought home and destroyed or, preferably, in conjunction and coordination with the Islamic Republic of Iran, destroyed in place or, at another acceptable location, with the Atomic Energy Commission, or its equivalent, being witness to this process and event,' Trump wrote.
It was not clear if he meant this is part of an emerging accord with Iran.
The Atomic Energy Commission that Trump cited was abolished in 1974 and its functions were divided between two successor bodies.
Earlier on Monday, Trump said it should be mandatory for Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey, Bahrain and Jordan to sign up to the Abraham Accords, a set of agreements brokered in 2020 with nations historically hostile to Israel.
Trump said he had spoken to the leaders of those countries Saturday about efforts to end the war with Iran. Bahrain and the UAE have already signed the accords, along with Morocco and Sudan.
US and Iranian forces have observed a ceasefire since April 8 while diplomats push for a negotiated settlement, although Iran has maintained controls on Gulf shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the US Navy has sought to blockade Iran's ports.
But while the accords were welcomed by some, they remain deeply unpopular in many parts of the Middle East - in part because they fail to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Gulf heavyweights like Saudi Arabia and Qatar have said they will never normalize ties with Israel unless an independent Palestinian state is created.
Saudi Arabia's position on the Palestinian issue remains unchanged, a Saudi source told Riyadh-based broadcaster Al Arabiya on Monday, adding that 'there needs to be an irreversible pathway to a Palestinian state.'
Anna Jacobs of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington said Trump's latest demand added to the disaster that has been the war on all fronts for Gulf nations.
'The national security of the Gulf states has been threatened more than ever before because of President Trump's reckless decisions, and he expects Arab states to thank him and to normalize relations with Israel, which they will not do at this stage,' she said.
'These expectations and assumptions from this US administration shows how little they understand the Middle East.'
Trump's maximalist demand came after top US diplomat Marco Rubio suggested a deal could be reached within the day, causing world oil prices to tumble based on renewed optimism about an agreement.
'We thought we might have some news last night, maybe today,' Secretary of State Rubio told reporters during a visit to New Delhi, referring to hopes for a deal.
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