US President Donald Trump wholeheartedly endorsed a potential Israeli military attack targeting Iran's nuclear installations, according to the controversial new book of his former national security advisor.
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Former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
(Photo: U.S. Embassy Jerusalem )
On Saturday, a US judge rejected a White House request to halt the release of John Bolton's tell-all book, which paints an unflattering picture of the Trump administration.
In “The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir,” the famously hawkish Bolton wrote that “On Iran, I urged that he press ahead to withdraw from the nuclear agreement and explained why the use of force against Iran’s nuclear program might be the only lasting solution. ‘You tell Bibi [Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] that if he uses force, I will back him. I told him that, but you tell him again,’ Trump said, unprompted by me.”
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U.S. President Trump with John Bolton when he was National Security Advisor
(Photo: AP)
Over the years, multiple reports said Israel seriously considered preemptive military actions against Iran's uranium development program, which Netanyahu has consistently described as posing an existential threat to the Jewish State.
Netanyahu fiercely opposed the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, which granted Iran license to pursue limited uranium enrichment, saying that the constraints put on the Islamic Republic were unenforceable.
Washington withdrew from the Iran deal in 2018, reimposing a series of harsh economic sanctions against Tehran.
First published: 19:09, 06.21.20