ATLANTA — Former President Jimmy Carter on Wednesday backed a historic deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program, telling The Associated Press that the U.S.-led agreement is “a major step in the right direction.”
“My thought was: Thanksgiving,” Carter said. “I think it’s a very wonderful agreement, and I have complete confidence in John Kerry to negotiate a binding agreement where a violation will be detected.”
Carter said he received a White House briefing on Tuesday to discuss details of the agreement. He said it provides “fallback” to detect any violations and enforce terms of the deal.
The 1979 Iranian hostage crisis dominated Carter’s campaign for a second term in the White House. He was defeated by Republican Ronald Reagan.
In a new book “A Full Life” released this month, Carter writes that the crisis made him vulnerable to attacks labeling him ineffective and called his final year in office “the most stressful and unpleasant” of his life.