Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday thanked President Donald Trump for his "courageous leadership" after he announced that the United States is leaving the Iran nuclear deal.
"President Trump did a historic move, and this is why Israel thanks President Trump for his courageous leadership, his commitment to confront the terrorist regime in Tehran, and his commitment to ensure that Iran never gets nuclear weapons. Not today, not in a decade, not ever," Netanyahu said.
Trump announced early Tuesday afternoon that he was withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal, a move that unravels the signature foreign policy achievement of his predecessor, Barack Obama, and Obama-era Secretary of State John Kerry.
"It is clear to me that we cannot prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb under the decaying and rotten structure of the current agreement," Trump said from the White House Diplomatic Room. "The Iran deal is defective at its core. If we do nothing, we know exactly what will happen."
"The United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal," Trump added.
In discussing the lead-up to withdrawal decision, the president said his administration had consulted with U.S. allies in the Middle East, among them Israel.
"We have also consulted with our friends from across the Middle East," Trump said. "We are unified in our understanding of the threat and in our conviction that Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon. After these consultations, it is clear to me that we cannot prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb under the decaying and rotten structure of the current agreement."
Trump later signed a presidential memorandum to reinstate U.S. nuclear sanctions on the Iranian regime, a move that angered Iranians leaders and has them threatening harsh reprisals against the United States, the Washington Free Beacon reported.
Following Trump's remarks, the White House National Security Adviser John Bolton told reporters that sanctions on Iran will be "immediately" reinstated.
"The decision is very clear," Bolton said. "It's a firm statement of American resolve to prevent not only Iran from getting nuclear weapons" but also from strengthening its ballistic missile program and support for terror groups.