Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump had some harsh words for US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry in their treatment of Israel.
Speaking to reporters in Iowa on Saturday, Trump accused the president of selling out Israel by negotiating with Iran. “Israel was sold out by Kerry and Obama,” he stated.
The presidential hopeful advocated for a tougher stance with the Islamic Republic and its nuclear aspirations. “You cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. You can’t have it. When they march down the street saying, ‘Death to Israel, death to the United [States],’ you can’t let it happen,” Trump stated.
Calling for “very forceful action” to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power, Trump warned that as president, he would take drastic action against Iran.
Reiterating his opposition to the nuclear agreement, Trump told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that the Iran nuclear deal would lead to an age of nuclear holocaust.
While Trump explained that he would not “rip up” the deal should he be elected president, as Commander in Chief he would “police” the deal to every last detail and not allow Iran to circumvent their promises.
“It’s very hard to say, ‘We’re ripping it up’…I’m very good at looking at a contract and finding things within a contract,” he explained. “I would police that contract so tough that they don’t have a chance. As bad as the contract is, I will be so tough on that contract.”
Regarding the US negotiating team, Trump did not mince his words, calling “the people who negotiated that deal – Kerry and his friends…incompetent.”
With the signing of a tentative nuclear accord between Iran and P5+1 powers, Iran has been promised sanctions relief in exchange for reigning in its nuclear program. As Trump emphasized, regardless of whether Congress passes the deal, Iran will receive an estimated $150 billion in sanctions relief by the time a new president is elected to office.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Trump stated. “Iran is going to be unbelievably rich and unbelievable powerful and Israel is in real trouble.”
“Iran is going to have nuclear weapons,” he warned. “They are going to take over parts of the world that you wouldn’t believe. And I think it’s going to lead to a nuclear holocaust.”
