Obama: Gov. Walker 'foolish' to repeal Iran deal, 'bone up' on foreign policy

WASHINGTON, April 7 (UPI) -- President Barack Obama has criticized Republican Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's claim that he would repeal a nuclear deal with Iran if elected president.

"It would be a foolish approach to take," Obama said in an interview with NPR. "Perhaps Mr. Walker -- after he's taken some time to bone up on foreign policy -- will feel the same way."

Negotiators announced on Thursday a preliminary agreement was reached to limit Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for diminished Western economic sanctions.

"I am confident that any president who gets elected will be knowledgeable enough about foreign policy and knowledgeable enough about the traditions and precedents of presidential power that they won't start calling [into] question the capacity of the executive branch of the United States to enter into agreements with other countries," Obama told NPR.

"If that starts being questioned, that's going to be a problem for our friends and that's going to embolden our enemies," Obama added.

Walker, who has become one of the top candidates for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, has repeatedly said he would repeal any deal made with Iran.

"Absolutely, on day one," Walker previously said during a conservative radio show. "I mean, to me, it is, the concept of a nuclear Iran is not only problematic for Iran, and certainly for Israel, but it opens the doors."

"You're going to have plenty of others in the region... They're going to want to have a nuclear weapon if the Iranians have a nuclear weapon," Walker said, referring to Saudi Arabia.

In March, 47 Republican senators warned Iran in a letter that any deal over nuclear weapons could last only as long as the Obama administration. Obama has continuously defended the nuclear deal with Iran.

"I would argue that this deal is the right thing to do for the United States, for our allies in the region and for world peace regardless of the nature of the Iranian regime," Obama said. "My goal, when I came into office, was to make sure that Iran did not get a nuclear weapon and thereby trigger a nuclear arms race in the most volatile part of the world."