Obama Approaches Trump on Iran Nuclear Deal

US Secretary of State John Kerry has said outgoing President Barack Obama has approached his successor Donald Trump to stress the importance of upholding the Iran nuclear deal. Trump, who won the presidential election last month in an upset over Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton, is due to take office on Jan. 20. During campaigning for the White House, Trump railed against the agreement, calling it a “disaster” and “the worst deal ever negotiated”. Kerry rejected the president-elect’s criticism of the deal on Monday, Reuters reported. “The region is safer, Germany and the United States are safer, Europe is safer, Israel is safer and the world is safer ... It depends on all of us to keep this alive,” he said at an event at which he was awarded the German Order of Merit. The landmark pact was reached between Iran and the US and five other powers to roll back Tehran’s nuclear work in return for relief from international sanctions. It is seen as Obama’s top foreign policy achievement and is widely believed to have averted a looming war. Iran denies having ever considered developing a nuclear bomb and insists its nuclear program is meant for civilian purposes only.