U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley slammed the Iran nuclear deal Thursday night by saying it was "designed to be too big to fail."
Haley gave a lecture called "Confronting Today’s Global Governance Challenges" to an audience at Duke University, and she said the United States is entering a new era of leadership in dealing with Iran. She criticized the way the Obama administration negotiated the deal.
"The Iran nuclear deal was designed to be too big to fail. For years, not just the United States, but our allies in Europe have overlooked Iranian ballistic missile launches, support for terrorists, and the oppression of the Iranian people in order to preserve the nuclear deal," Haley said.
She said the architects of the nuclear deal argued that going to war was the only alternative to accepting the bad deal they negotiated. She said the Trump administration has rejected those premises.
"This administration has had the courage to challenge this false choice. We are working with our European allies to strengthen the agreement and hold the Iranian regime to account for its support of regional terrorism," Haley said. "The president has set a deadline of mid-May to determine our continued participation in the deal."
"Whether we stay in the nuclear deal or not, strengthening our approach to holding Iran accountable for its actions sends a powerful message to Iran," Haley added.