Former Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie said Iran is trying to stall nuclear negotiations as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares to meet with President Donald Trump on Wednesday in Washington.
Wilkie, appearing on "Bianca Across the Nation" on Newsmax, said Netanyahu will enter the talks with a record of confronting Iran and its regional aggression, particularly as concerns mount over Iran's nuclear ambitions and ballistic missile program.
"I think he has a track record that impresses everybody," Wilkie said. "You saw all of the pictures of the Iranian generals. They're all dead. Every one of them on that poster is dead, and they've been killed by Israelis.
"That's the kind of track record that Netanyahu brings, plus an encyclopedic knowledge of the threats that the Iranian regime still creates for everyone in the Middle East."
Netanyahu's office said before the meeting that any negotiations with Iran must include limits on Tehran's ballistic missile program and an end to its support for terrorist proxy groups, including Hezbollah and Hamas — conditions Iran has historically resisted.
Wilkie expressed skepticism that Tehran is negotiating in good faith.
"So I don't think you're going to find anything to agree with," he said. "These are dead-enders. They're stalling for time. We know that Chinese ships have been offloading parts for ballistic missiles, at what's left of Iran's ports."
According to Wilkie, Iran's strategy is clear.
"So they're trying to intimidate. They're trying to really run the clock out," he said. "And I don't think it will work."
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Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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