CIA director: Scrapping Iran deal would be 'disastrous'

LONDON — CIA Director John Brennan said Wednesday that President-elect Donald Trump's plan to scrap the Iran nuclear deal would be disastrous.”

In an interview with the BBC, Brennan said such an action would be "the height of folly.” His remarks came after Trump threatened to end the agreement during his election campaign, calling it "the worst deal ever negotiated."

"First of all for one administration to tear up an agreement that a previous administration made would be unprecedented,” said Brennan, who is leaving his post in January after serving four years. “I think it would be the height of folly if the next administration were to tear up that agreement.”

Brennan said scrapping the deal could strengthen Iranian hard-liners and lead to other countries pursuing their own nuclear programs.

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Iran reached the landmark deal with the United States and five other world powers in July 2015 to curb its nuclear program in return for lifting most sanctions.

Brennan also warned Trump and his administration to be "wary of Russian promises" and voiced concern over Russia's willingness to come to a deal toward ending the more than 5-year-old civil war in Syria.

Trump has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin's leadership and said he will improve relations with Russia.

On Wednesday, Russia’s TASS news agency reported that Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said Russia had been in contact with Trump’s team over the conflict in Syria.

“I cannot confirm reports of these contacts. As far as I know, the team of the president-elect has not been formed yet,” Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said later, according to TASS.