Former U.S. President Barack Obama said it is unrealistic to expect that a potential agreement between Donald Trump and Tehran would represent significant progress over the 2015 nuclear deal reached during his administration. Speaking on ABC News’ “This Week” on Sunday, Obama noted that negotiation remains preferable to direct conflict if Washington’s conditions cannot be fully met. The remarks were reported by AFP from Washington.

Obama emphasized that any new deal is unlikely to include major positive changes compared to the earlier accord, which he described as effective for a long period before the United States withdrew from it. The 2015 agreement had been considered a landmark in limiting Iran’s nuclear activities.

The discussion comes amid heightened tensions following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran in late February that triggered conflict in the Middle East. Trump has repeatedly claimed that his proposed deal would permanently halt Iran’s nuclear weapons capability and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, though Tehran has dismissed peace talks with Washington as meaningless.