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Bolton tells Netanyahu that Iran nuclear deal was ‘wretched’

Aug 20, 2018 | 6:25 AM

JERUSALEM — President Donald Trump’s national security adviser is bemoaning the “wretched” Iranian nuclear deal in his talks with Israel’s prime minister.

John Bolton told Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday that the United States sees the “highest importance” in preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and that’s why Trump withdrew from the deal negotiated by the Obama administration and was reapplying stiff sanctions.

Netanyahu agreed the deal was “disastrous” and called Trump’s decision to drop out historic.

Bolton has been a strident critic of the nuclear deal and has pushed for greater pressure on Tehran to ensure it halts its support for militant groups in the Mideast and stops development of ballistic missiles. A former ambassador to the United Nations under President George W. Bush, Bolton is a longtime hawkish advocate for Israel.