Obama 'embarrassed' for GOP senators who signed Iran letter

President Barack Obama said he’s “embarrassed” for the 47 Republican senators who signed a letter to Iranian leaders earlier this week.

“I’m embarrassed for them. For them to address a letter to the ayatollah who they claim is our mortal enemy, and their basic argument to them is ‘don’t deal with our president ‘cause you can’t trust him to follow through on agreement,” Obama said in a trailer for a Vice News interview scheduled to run in full on Monday.


“That’s close to unprecedented,” he said.

The letter, warning Iranian leaders that any agreement reached in nuclear negotiations would merely constitute an “executive agreement,” generated a significant backlash in Washington and beyond.

Iran’s foreign minister called the letter “unprecedented and undiplomatic,” while a message from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s Twitter account said it “is indicative” of an American “collapse in ethics.”

Germany’s foreign minister weighed in Thursday, saying that to call the letter unhelpful would be “an understatement.”

“It was kind of a very rapid process. Everybody was looking forward to getting out of town because of the snowstorm,” said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who also signed, in an interview with POLITICO earlier this week. “I think we probably should have had more discussion about it, given the blowback that there is.”

Republican support for the letter has extended beyond the Senate, with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal signing it Tuesday. Others also have backed the warning to Iran’s leadership, including Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, all of whom are prospective candidates for the party’s presidential nomination.