Robert Wilkie, secretary for Veterans Affairs in the first Trump administration, told Newsmax on Friday night that Israel had to strike Iran now because the Islamic republic was close to creating a nuclear weapon.

“Most of the Israeli contacts I’ve had have told me that they believe that the ayatollahs were rushing and were within days, maybe weeks of being able to put a weapon on a missile,” Wilkie told host Rick Leventhal as part of Newsmax’s coverage of the Israel-Iran conflict. “And that’s why Israel moved.”

Wilkie said there was another reason Israel moved so fast, even while the U.S. was trying to reach an agreement with Iran on its nuclear program.

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