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Former U.S. President Barack Obama said President Donald Trump "started a war no one wanted" that was unnecessary, criticizing the administration's decisions during a rally in Atlanta, Georgia, held to support the Democratic candidate in the midterm elections.

Obama defended the nuclear agreement reached with Iran during his own administration, argued that the war has not ended and has pushed up prices, and called the midterms the best chance to restrain the current government.

Criticism of the Iran conflict

Speaking at the rally in Atlanta, Obama said the current president "chose to make a series of wrong decisions," and that "the most important of them was to start a war no one wanted, a war that was not necessary." He offered no further details about the conflict in his remarks.

Referring to the agreement made with Iran during his administration, Obama said the initial justification for going in was to get Iran to give up its nuclear weapons and its nuclear program, but that Iran had no nuclear weapons and had halted that program. "I had signed an agreement that everyone accepted would prevent them from having nuclear weapons. I never had to fire a missile. I chose the path of diplomacy," he said.

Obama said allies and U.S. bases were attacked, Americans were killed and hundreds were wounded, and missile stocks were depleted, leaving the country more vulnerable. He added that Iran now holds veto power over the Strait of Hormuz, through which a large share of the world's oil passes on its way to consumers.

Obama said the war has not ended and that this is why prices for many products, starting with gasoline and diesel, have risen, adding that the situation will continue as long as the war goes on.

Attacks on officials and on Trump's finances

Obama said current government officials are not "serious people." "We are all paying the price for their lack of seriousness," he said. He recalled that decisions and actions related to the U.S. border during his own administration were criticized, but said he remembers no one asking for masked agents to be sent running through the streets, and no one talking about law-abiding citizens being arrested and detained, shot and killed, or children being taken from their parents.

Obama said Trump has made "billions of dollars" while in office and that the number of deals made by Trump and family members can no longer be kept track of, citing meme coins and contracts for the children's companies financed with taxpayer money. "You cannot use the office of the presidency and the policies that affect Americans for your own interests. That is what dictators in other countries do, but we do not do that," he said.

Midterms as the best chance to act

Obama noted that two years remain in the Trump administration's term and described the midterm elections as the "best chance" to respond to the situation. He argued that it matters for the Trump side to lose, "at least to rein him in, to say 'Stop' to some of the nonsense this administration has displayed." "This is a kind of circuit breaker in the system, and we need to flip it. We must begin to bring an accountable order against this administration," he said.

Obama also said regulations are needed so that the benefits of artificial intelligence reach everyone and not only a few billionaires, and that the education system must be restructured along the same lines.

How the political system fails

Obama argued that the country's system of government is "not working the way it should." He gave two reasons: electoral districts being redrawn for political advantage, and laws such as "Citizens United" that allow wealthy and powerful people to finance elections. "Hundreds of millions of dollars flow into elections. Partly because of that," he said.

Key takeaways

• Former U.S. President Barack Obama said President Donald Trump "started a war no one wanted" that was unnecessary.
• Obama said the war has not ended and is the reason prices for gasoline, diesel and other products have risen.
• He said current officials are not "serious people" and that "we are all paying the price for their lack of seriousness."
• Obama called the midterm elections the "best chance" to restrain the administration, likening them to a circuit breaker.