Jimmy Carter: I Could Have 'Wiped Out' Iran During Presidency

Former President Jimmy Carter said in a recent interview that during his presidency in 1980, he could have "wiped out" the country of Iran and diminished the nuclear weapon threat they still hold today.

Carter said in a recent interview with "CNBC Meets" ahead of his 90th birthday that taking military action against Iran during his presidency would have aided in his reelection.

"I could've been reelected if I'd taken military action against Iran, shown that I was strong and resolute and manly and so forth," he said in the recent interview.

"I could have wiped Iran off the map with the weapons that we had, but in the process a lot of innocent people would have been killed, probably including the hostages, and so I stood up against all that, all that advice, and then eventually my prayers were answered and every hostage came home safe and free," Carter added. "And so I think I made the right decision in retrospect, but it was not easy at the time."

When asked if he believes the American public supported his decision to not invade Iran, Carter said: "I think increasingly they have, as more facts are known and as people look back on those times."

"But there's still a strong inclination in our country to take military action when I think it's not necessary."

Carter celebrated his 90th birthday on Wednesday with wife Rosalyn at the Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia. The former president and prolific author blew out three candles to represent the past, present and future on his birthday cake in front of family, friends and staff.