[393]

Syrian civil war
See also: Foreign involvement in the Syrian civil war § United States, and American-led intervention in the Syrian civil war
On August 18, 2011, several months after the start of the Syrian civil war, Obama issued a written statement that said: "The time has come for President Assad to step aside."[394] This stance was reaffirmed in November 2015.[395] In 2012, Obama authorized multiple programs run by the CIA and the Pentagon to train anti-Assad rebels.[396] The Pentagon-run program was later found to have failed and was formally abandoned in October 2015.[397][398]
In the wake of a chemical weapons attack in Syria, formally blamed by the Obama administration on the Assad government, Obama chose not to enforce the "red line" he had pledged[399] and, rather than authorize the promised military action against Assad, went along with the Russia-brokered deal that led to Assad giving up chemical weapons; however attacks with chlorine gas continued.[400][401] In 2014, Obama authorized an air campaign aimed primarily at ISIL.[402]

Iran nuclear talks
Main article: Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
Obama talks with Benjamin Netanyahu, March 2013.
