In a display critics describe as historical revisionism, California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office claimed Tuesday that former President Barack Obama was “the man who actually got Iran to make a deal that kept Americans safe.”
Critics argued that the statement ignores controversies surrounding the 2015 nuclear deal, including the humiliation of American servicemen, financial concessions to Iran, and the regime’s continued support for terrorist groups.
The backlash was swift. Opponents pointed to January 2016, when ten U.S. sailors were captured by Iran and forced to kneel at gunpoint in widely circulated propaganda images. The American public remembers the humiliation of our military — an act the former Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praised as an “act of God.”
This safe? pic.twitter.com/YZyvDb9pI8
— Katya Sedgwick (@KatyaSedgwick) March 24, 2026
They also cited the Obama administration’s $1.7 billion payment to Iran, which was delivered in cash as part of a settlement that coincided with the release of four American prisoners. While the administration denied it was a ransom, even the State Department eventually admitted the timing was linked.
Let’s talk about that deal, Gavin.
Obama gave Iran $150 billion in sanctions relief.
Then put $1.7 billion in cash on a cargo plane and flew it to Tehran in the middle of the night.
Iran literally called it a ransom payment.
Iran then took the money, and;
A) Funded Hezbollah.…— Matt Van Swol (@mattvanswol) March 25, 2026
As noted by critics and whistleblowers, this windfall didn’t buy peace; it bought bullets. Iran, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, used its newfound liquidity to:
- Fund Hezbollah
- Arm the Houthis, who spent the subsequent decade targeting American ships
- Bolster the Assad dictatorship in Syria
Furthermore, reports from the office of Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) revealed a “chilling” pattern of interference where the Obama State Department, led by John Kerry, allegedly ordered the FBI to “stand down” on arrests of Iranian criminals to avoid upsetting the nuclear negotiations.
Governor Newsom defends the modern version of the 1938 Munich Accords between the U.S. and Islamic regime of Iran – the 2015 Nuclear Deal. Newsom is worse than "peace in our time" Neville Chamberlain because Chamberlain didn't have his historical example of appeasement of an evil…
— Adam Mossoff (@AdamMossoff) March 25, 2026
Opponents of the deal have long argued that its provisions, including a clear “sunset” path to nuclear weapons, allowed 24-day delays for inspections, and enabled Tehran to eventually expand its nuclear capabilities.
The debate resurfaced this week as critics rejected Newsom’s characterization that Obama “kept Americans safe,” arguing instead that it was appeasement disguised as diplomacy that only strengthened a hostile Iranian regime.
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