Israel hails Trump’s decision on Iran nuclear deal

Jerusalem, Oct 14 (IANS) Israel has welcomed US President Donald Trump's decision not to certify the landmark nuclear deal with Iran and also hailed his remarks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Trump's remarks on Friday as a "courageous decision", Xinhua news agency reported.

In a video statement released by the Prime Minister's office, Netanyahu said the move has created an opportunity to "fix this bad deal" and to struggle against Iran's aggression.

He added that he wishes other world powers would follow the US.

Netanyahu has been a vocal opponent of the 2015 deal, which cancelled sanctions on Iran in return for concessions regarding its nuclear program.

The Prime Minister has charged that the agreement fails to halt Iran's support for Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based Shiite militia, and Israel's arch foe.

Israel's Intelligence Minister Yisrael Katz praised Trump's move as an important step towards "fixing some of the flaws in the dangerous nuclear agreement".

"The deal in its current form will allow Iran to develop a nuclear capability in the not so distant future," Katz said in a statement, adding that the deal provides Iran with "a kind of an insurance policy until then."

In a statement earlier on Friday, Trump said that he had decided to decertify Iran's compliance with the landmark deal reached in 2015.

"Based on the factual record I have put forward, I am announcing today that we cannot and will not make this certification," Trump said at the White House.

Trump also threatened that he may terminate the Iran nuclear deal at any time, which was reached in 2015 between Iran and Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany.

According to the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act passed by US Congress in 2015, the US government is required to recertify to Congress Iran's compliance with the nuclear deal every 90 days.