Intelligence minister calls on Trump ‘to change or cancel the Iran deal’

Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz calls on US President Donald Trump “to change or cancel the Iran deal,” warning that the Islamic Republic will otherwise become another nuclear renegade state like North Korea.

During a speech at a counterterrorism conference, Katz says Iran is on track to become a nuclear power when the deal expires. In the meantime, he says, Tehran is setting itself up in Syria with “tens of thousands” of fighters in Shiite militias.

The intelligence minister says that Iran is in the process of signing an agreement with Syrian leader Bashar Assad that would allow it to maintain bases, airports and fighters in the country for the long term.

“These militias, who come from around the Middle east, are meant to threaten Israel and open up another northern front,” he says.

Katz says the United States and other Western countries need to focus on blocking Iran from establishing hegemony in the region.

— Judah Ari Gross