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During their 2008 battle for the Democratic nomination, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton argued bitterly about Iran. When Obama said he would meet with Irans leader without preconditions, Clinton called him reckless and naive. After Clinton threatened to destroy Tehran if it used nuclear weapons against Israel, Obama likened her to George W. Bush.

But now, Clinton and Obama are inextricably linked on the subject, thanks to the nuclear deal reached in Vienna on Tuesday. As her former rivals secretary of state, Clinton helped to launch the historic diplomacy with Iran. And, should she succeed him as president, its fate could depend on how committed Clinton is to making it work.

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Current and former administration officials say Clinton and Obama worked in harmony on Iran while she was his top diplomat. But they also consider Clinton more distrustful than Obama of a possible thaw in U.S.-Iranian relations. And they recall her as more willing to contemplate the possibility of conflict, pushing in Cabinet meetings for more detailed contingency planning in the event diplomacy failed. In one senior meeting, Clinton even encouraged a conversation about whether the U.S. should consider granting Israel approval to bomb Irans nuclear sites, according to two former administration officials, though she never actually endorsed that view.

In some recent remarks, Clinton has also hinted at a tougher view than the one that prevailed in Vienna, including her belief that Irans breakout period the time it would take to enrich enough uranium for a bomb should be longer than one year. Tuesdays agreement imposes a breakout time of only one year.

But Clinton has supported Obamas diplomacy, which she has tracked closely via regular briefings from Obama officials and the president himself, and in a Tuesday meeting with House Democrats she strongly endorsed the final deal.

On the campaign trail, she has highlighted her own hand in the deal. Im very proud of the role Ive played in building the coalition and the sanctions that brought Iran to the negotiating table, she said during a recent appearance in New Hampshire.

That doesnt mean the nuclear deal will be an easy political proposition for Clinton. The Republican National Committee, which casts it as a surrender to Irans Islamist government, refers to the Obama-Clinton nuclear talks, which it says Clinton secretly spearheaded.

The agreement could also complicate Clintons relationship with some Democrats, including wealthy Jewish donors, who consider the nuclear deal too accommodating of Iran and a grave threat to Israels security.

One former senior administration official said it was always unthinkable Clinton would oppose a deal: No way, he said. Clinton is too personally invested in the talks and could pay a high political price for abandoning the president.

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Hillary Clinton endorses nuclear deal - Michael Crowley ...