Ash Carter

Carter, Netanyahu call it a day after discussing Iran deal

They called it a bad deal. He called it a good deal. And they all just called it a day.

Carter on Tuesday did avoid a public tongue-lashing by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israeli leader has called the Iran deal a monumental mistake and asserted that it severely weakens Israel's security, strengthens Iran and contradicts President Barack Obama's stated goal of preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Pentagon chief Carter not offering new arms deal to Israel

But officials say Washington has no plans to offer new weaponry as compensation for the Iran deal.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter left for Tel Aviv on Sunday to push ahead with talks on ways the U.S. can further improve Israel's security — not just with Iranian threats in mind, but an array of other challenges, including cyberdefense and maritime security.

VIDEO: US military chiefs face tough questions on IS

McCain, who lost to Obama in the 2008 presidential election and has been a harsh critic of the administration's foreign policy, said there was no compelling reason to think that anything the US was doing would be enough to achieve the president's goal of degrading and ultimately destroying IS.

McCain said Islamic State continues to gain territory in Iraq and Syria, while expanding its influence across the Middle East, Africa and Central Asia.