Bush adviser says Iran move sets up North Korea talks

A former top official in the George W. Bush administration says US President Donald Trump’s decision to leave the Iran nuclear deal bodes well for future talks with North Korea.

Elliot Abrams, the deputy national security adviser under Bush, says the “effect on North Korea is salutary in that it suggests the president is true to his rhetoric — he is not going to accept a very bad deal.”

Speaking on the sidelines of the Herzliya Conference, Abrams says that staying in the deal would have sent a negative message that the Americans would buckle under the international pressure to abide by the 2015 deal.

He adds that Trump was strengthening his hand for his upcoming summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

— AP