Former President Barack Obama and President Donald Trump escalated their public feud this week after opposition candidate Peter Magyar won Hungary’s election, defeating the administration-backed incumbent.
Trump had sent Vice President JD Vance to Hungary before the election to support then-Prime Minister Victor Orban, who has governed the country for 16 years. Magyar’s victory prompted Obama to post on social media celebrating what he called a win for democracy across Europe and the world.
Obama’s Statement
“The victory of the opposition in Hungary yesterday, like the Polish election in 2023, is a victory for democracy, not just in Europe but around the world. Most of all, it’s a testament to the resilience and determination of the Hungarian people,” Obama wrote on X, adding that the result served as a reminder to pursue fairness, equality and the rule of law.
Trump’s Iran Deal Counterattack
Trump responded by pivoting to criticisms of Obama’s 2015 Iran nuclear agreement, which he terminated during his first term. At the FII PRIORITY Summit on Friday, Trump rehashed his objection to a $1.7 billion payment made to Iran under the deal’s framework.
“That Barack Hussein Obama, he had the Iran nuclear deal. He went to Iran, he paid them,” Trump said. “He sent two Boeing 757 jetliners. They took the seats out and they piled it with cash, like 1.7 billion of cash.”
Trump claimed that without terminating the Iran nuclear deal in his first term, Iran would have already obtained nuclear weapons. “If I didn’t terminate it almost immediately, they would have had a nuclear weapon long ago, and they would have used it on the Middle East, Israel,” he stated.
Context of the Payments
Obama’s administration justified the $1.7 billion transfer as compensation owed to Iran following a failed 1979 arms deal dispute that preceded the Islamic Revolution. The payment was part of the broader nuclear agreement designed to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
Trump and War Secretary Pete Hegseth have alleged the funds enabled Iran to finance military activities and obtain ballistic missiles used to target American and allied installations in the Middle East.
The United States and Israel are currently in the fourth week of Operation Epic Fury, an initiative Trump claims targets Iran’s military capabilities following assertions that Tehran is rebuilding its nuclear weapons program.