Former President Barack Obama is claiming the United States may be "worse off" now than before the Iran war.

In multiple television interviews, Obama questioned the results of President Donald Trump's military campaign against Iran and expressed skepticism that the administration's newly announced agreement with Tehran will produce a better outcome than the nuclear deal negotiated during his presidency.

"We've now fought a war, spent billions and billions of dollars, put enormous strain on our military. A lot of people have died," Obama told NBC's "Today." "And it feels like we're back where we were before we started the war, except maybe a little bit worse off."

Trump launched military operations against Iran on Feb. 28, targeting the regime's nuclear, military, and infrastructure sites.

After months of fighting, the United States and Iran reached a memorandum of understanding that is expected to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and establish a framework for further negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program.

Obama said he welcomed the ceasefire but argued the conflict could have been avoided.

He pointed to the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement negotiated by his administration, contending that Tehran had agreed not to pursue nuclear weapons before Trump withdrew the U.S. from the accord in 2018.

"This administration, or a prior version of this administration, pulled out of it, which caused then Iran to develop more nuclear capacity," Obama said.

Speaking with ABC's "Good Morning America," Obama said he was "doubtful" any new agreement reached by the Trump administration would be "significantly different" or "a significant improvement" over the deal his administration secured.

Obama also urged policymakers to rely more heavily on diplomacy rather than military force.

"You'd think we would've learned that lesson by now," he said. "But it seems like every so often we have to relearn that lesson again."

The comments come as debate continues over the effectiveness of both the Obama-era nuclear agreement and Trump's military strategy.

Critics of the 2015 accord have long argued that Iran violated key provisions and continued pursuing missile development and nuclear-related activities despite the agreement.

Supporters maintain the deal successfully constrained Tehran's nuclear ambitions until the U.S. withdrawal.

Trump administration officials have defended the current agreement, arguing that U.S. military action severely damaged Iran's nuclear infrastructure and missile capabilities while strengthening Washington's negotiating position.

Administration officials also contend that reopening the Strait of Hormuz could help lower global energy prices and reduce inflationary pressures.