Huckabee: Iran Deal 'Clear and Present Danger to America'

JERUSALEM, Israel -- Former Arkansas governor and Republican presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee says the Iranian nuclear deal represents a "clear and present danger" to the U.S.A.

Huckabee, who is a long-time friend of Israel, was here fund-raising among American voters who live in Israel and can vote in presidential elections.

"The Iranians have made it very clear for 36 years that their intention is not only to wipe Israel off the face of the map, their words, but also to bring death to America. And they have chanted that repeatedly. They have threatened it," Huckabee told journalists in Jerusalem on Wednesday.

"Unleashing $150 billion of new capital into their hands of unfrozen assets would be the equivalent in U.S. dollars of about $5 trillion of resources and assets given the scale of our economies," Huckabee said.

Huckabee said $5 trillion is an "extraordinary amount of money" especially for a government without "honorable intentions" of helping the poor, sick or hungry.

"Rather [Iran's] first major action was to purchase new weapons systems and delivery systems from the Russian government," he said.

Huckabee said the Iranian regime has no intention of being a force for peace but has already been a force of terror for decades.

"They've kidnapped Americans, they've killed Americans, they currently hold Americans hostage in their prisons," he added.

After reading the deal himself, Huckabee said he was more "alarmed."

He said the Iranian deal is not a partisan issue.