“I think it would be disastrous,” John Brennan said. | AP Photo CIA director: Throwing out Iran deal would be 'height of folly'

John Brennan, the director of the CIA, is cautioning Donald Trump that throwing out the Iran nuclear deal would be “the height of folly.”

In an interview with the BBC , Brennan offered the president-elect some foreign policy advice, pointedly arguing against Trump’s campaign promise to end the deal negotiated by the Obama administration. He cited the risk that Iranian hardliners could gain strength if the deal ended and also suggested that “for one administration to tear up an agreement that a previous administration made would be unprecedented.”


“I think it would be disastrous,” Brennan said. “I think it would be the height of folly if the next administration were to tear up that agreement.”

Among other points, Brennan also spoke negatively of waterboarding, which Trump has proposed bringing back, and advised his administration “to be wary of Russian promises.” While negotiating about the crisis in Syria, Moscow has been “disingenuous,” Brennan said.