Former Israeli Prime Minister and Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Wednesday warned pulling out of the Iran Deal would play into Tehran's hands and harm any potential negotiation between Washington and North Korea.
"Even if America decides to pull out of it, no one will join — not the Chinese, not the Russians, not even the Europeans. It will serve the Iranians," he told The New York Times.
U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to announce his plans on the Obama administration's controversial nuclear agreement with Iran by Oct. 15. The deal provides relief from nuclear sanctions as long as Iran is in compliance with a number of requirements. The president has previously bashed the treaty, calling it an "embarrassment."
Tensions between North Korea and the U.S. continue to rise as Pyongyang works to strengthen its defense system and missiles program and continue testing nuclear weapons and long-range missiles. Barak says decertifying the Iran Deal will give North Korea the confidence to "say it makes no sense negotiating with the Americans if they can pull out of a deal that has been signed, unilaterally, after a relatively short time."
If Iran turns nuclear in the next decade or so, Barak added, "it's become almost inevitable that we are entering a totally different international landscape."
When he was defense minister, Barak was a strong supporter of using military force to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
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