Trump: Obama chose Iran over Israel

President Trump blasts Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal, accusing the former president of siding with Iran over America’s allies in the Mideast and offering Tehran a path to a nuclear weapon.

By World Israel News Staff

President Donald Trump excoriated former President Barack Obama on Monday, accusing the 44th president of siding with Iran over America’s allies in the Middle East.

During a press conference held in the White House, Trump lamented that his predecessors allowed the Islamic Republic to build its strength since 1979, with the regime reaching its peak on the eve of the current war.

“We’ve been dealing with these people for 47 years,” Trump told reporters. “I’m standing here – a month ago – with a much more powerful Iran than it was at any point during 47 years.”

“This should have been handled by seven presidents, a lot of presidents and those presidents are saying now, every one of them to their friends, we should have done this a long time ago.”

Trump singled out Barack Obama for the sharpest criticism, denouncing the 2015 nuclear deal and stating that had the US not dropped out of the agreement, Iran likely would have acquired nuclear weapons.

“If I didn’t terminate the Barack Hussein Obama Iran nuclear deal, they would have had — don’t forget, that was a path to a nuclear weapon, remember this.”

The president chided Jewish Democrats, echoing past comments in which he cited the party’s growing hostility towards the Jewish state.

“He [Obama] chose Iran over Israel, pure and simple,” Trump continued. “If you’re Jewish in New York City or any place else in this country, and how you can vote for a Democrat is unbelievable because he chose Iran, a very hostile Iran.”

“Remember when he filled up a [passenger plane] with cash, billions of dollars of cash, and he sent it over to them then they gave them tens of billions of dollars.”

Trump added that Obama’s policies were detrimental not only to Israel but to America’s Arab allies as well.

“He chose Iran over Israel and really the Arab world … Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE.”

“I can add Kuwait and I can add Bahrain and you can add others.”

Had the 2015 nuclear deal remained in place, Trump continued, Iran would likely have used its nuclear arsenal to strike Israel, Saudi Arabia, and other US-aligned states in the region.

“If we didn’t do that, Iran would have had a nuclear weapon at a high level.”

“I told this to Bibi Netanyahu yesterday: Israel would have been extinguished. Large portions of the Middle East would have been extinguished, whether it’s Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE or others.”