A former director of the CIA said that the withdrawal of the United States from the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran has put more pressure on Iran, The Jerusalem Post reported Sunday.

Retired General David Petraeus, speaking at an event in Israel, said that the May withdrawal from the deal put more pressure on Iran, not just regarding its nuclear program, but also in other areas, including its ballistic missile program and its aggression across the Middle East.

The statement by Petraeus marks a reversal for the former general. In March of last year, he expressed concerns that withdrawing from the deal would isolate the United States.

However, since President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal from the deal as well as reimposing sanctions on Iran in May, the U.S. has gotten support from its Gulf allies.

The sanctions have also discouraged multinational corporations from doing business with Iran. At the end of May, Russian and Indian oil companies announced that they would reassess their business ties with Iran. Earlier this month, Boeing announced that it would not deliver promised airliners to Iran.

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