Former Trump advisor: Israel may act against Iran before Biden admin.
H.R. McMaster said to Fox host Bret Baier that then-Secretary of State John Kerry did not consider the "hostile ideology" of the Iranian regime.
By CODY LEVINEA missile unveiled by Iran is launched in an unknown location in Iran in this picture received by Reuters on August 20, 2020(photo credit: WANA NEWS AGENCY/REUTERS)
Former National Security Advisor Gen. H.R. McMaster for the Trump administration said in an interview with Fox News Thursday that President-elect Joe Biden should not rejoin the 2015 Iran nuclear deal upon taking office in on January 20.McMaster said to Fox host Bret Baier that then-Secretary of State John Kerry was wrong and did not consider the "hostile ideology" of the Iranian regime, in addition to its involvement in regional proxy wars and aggression against the United States."These big payoffs to Iran when the deal was signed, as well as the relief of sanctions ... what did they do with that money?" McMaster asked."They applied that money to intensify sectarian violence across the region in an effort to put a proxy army on the border of Israel," he noted, reflecting the position to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu."It would be a really big mistake to turn the clock back to 2016 and resurrect the nuclear deal," McMaster added."The Iran nuclear deal was a political disaster masquerading as a diplomatic triumph."On the issue of a presidential transition, McMaster said that it is essential that it goes smoothly for the purpose of national security, arguing that the US needs to signal to the world the stability of democratic institutions and not show "weakness and division.""Our enemies, adversaries, rivals think it's a time to act out against us. So I think it's really important for us to show a high degree of competence and a degree of stability and a recognition that our democracy works and our institutions are strong.Any period of transition is a dangerous time," McMaster pointed out."Our enemies, adversaries, rivals think it's a time to act out against us. So I think it's really important for us to show a high degree of competence and a degree of stability and a recognition that our democracy works and our institutions are strong. And I think that if we show weakness and division, there are a lot of malign actors that want to take advantage of that," he concluded.McMaster also spoke of Israel and its strategy in relation to Iran, suggesting that Israel may act against Iran in some form, including a military strike, following the end of Trump's tenure as president. He noted that this would be in-line with the Begin doctrine.He claimed that we may see a return to the period of the mid-2000s regarding Iranian breakout nuclear capability.
