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Obama on GOP signees of Iran letter: 'I'm embarrassed for them'

"It's close to unprecedented," Obama said in a recent interview about the 47 Republicans who sent a letter to the leaders of Iran.
President Barack Obama speaks during a town-hall meeting on March 6, 2015, at Benedict College in Columbia, S.C. (Photo by Rainier Ehrhardt/AP)
President Barack Obama speaks during a town-hall meeting on March 6, 2015, at Benedict College in Columbia, S.C.

Iran, political gridlock, and legalizing marijuana federally —those were a few major hot-button issues President Obama discussed in a recent interview with VICE Media founder Shane Smith.

"I'm embarrassed for them, for them to address a letter to the ayatollah, who they claim is our mortal enemy, and their basic argument to them is, 'Don't deal with our president because you can't trust him to follow through on an agreement,'" Obama said, referring to the open letter that 47 Republican senators signed and sent last week to the leaders of Iran. "It's close to unprecedented," he added.

In the letter, the lawmakers warned that Republicans are prepared to undercut any nuclear agreement reached under Obama's direction between Iran and the United States. For months, the two countries have been involved in tense negotiations over Iran's nuclear program. 

RELATED: Obama strikes back at GOP for Iran letter

The preview of the interview ends with Smith telling Obama the one question people all over the Internet want answered: How does the president feel about federally legalizing marijuana? The president responds: "Um," as the video fades to black.

View the full, 18-minute video interview, released Monday afternoon, below: