CIA director raises concerns over Trump’s foreign policy pledge

Ending the Iran nuclear deal would be “disastrous” and “the height of folly”, CIA Director John Brennan warned.

In an interview with the BBC, the outgoing CIA director appears to caution President-elect Donald Trump from perusing a hard-nosed stance towards Iran’s nuclear deal.

Spelling out the dangers, he said: “I think it would be disastrous, it really would: for one administration to tear up an agreement that a previous administration made would be almost unprecedented.”

Brennan also commented on the regional implications warning: “It could lead to a weapons programme inside of Iran that could lead other states in the region to embark on their own programmes.”

The CIA director also raised concerns over many of Trump’s controversial foreign policy pledges, including the president-elect’s admiration for Russian President Vladimir Putin, his anti-Islamic rhetoric and his willingness to use torture.

“Russia is a country that will pursue its national interests frequently to the detriment of the interests of the peoples of the countries wherein it operates. So I think President-elect Trump and the new administration need to be wary of Russian promises. Russian promises have not given us what it is they have pledged.”