US President Barack Obama told a skeptical Benjamin Netanyahu Tuesday that the freshly sealed Iran nuclear deal was in Israel's "national security interest" and dispatched his secretary of defense to the Jewish state for talks.

The White House said Obama called the Israeli Prime Minister, who has described the accord as a "historic mistake," announcing Ash Carter would travel to Israel next week.

"The president told the prime minister that today's agreement on the nuclear issue will not diminish our concerns regarding Iran's support for terrorism and threats toward Israel," the White House said