Mike Huckabee
Mike HuckabeeFlash 90

Former Arkansas Governor and GOP presidential candidate Mike Huckabee on Sunday told CNN that he plans a two-day trip to Israel. He'll depart Tuesday.

He said the trip to the country that he's visited "dozens and dozens of times" since 1973 will include some fundraising efforts, but added it will be focused on meeting with Israeli officials to discuss the Iran nuclear deal which he and the rest of the GOP field opposes.

In recent weeks, Huckabee has met influential Jews throughout the United States, explaining his political philosophy.

For example, after Tisha B'Av, he met senior figures in the Jewish community in New York at the home of Jewish activist Dr. Joe Frager. At that meeting, Huckabee said that he does not believe President Barack Obama will assist Israel if it attacks Iran’s nuclear facilities.

"We have not forgotten the six million Jews murdered in Europe - back then as well they told us not to worry,” Huckabee said at the time.

Huckabee caused an uproar last month when he said that Obama, by agreeing to the Iran deal, is marching Israelis "to the door of the oven."

The comments were criticized by Obama, who said, “[It] would be considered ridiculous if it weren’t so sad.”

“Maybe this is just an effort to push Mr. [Donald] Trump out of the headlines,” he added, “but it is not the kind of leadership that is needed in America right now.”

Huckabee was unfazed by Obama’s criticism, saying later on Monday that the President does not take the Iran nuclear threat seriously.

"What's 'ridiculous and sad' is that President Obama does not take Iran's repeated threats seriously," Huckabee said. "For decades, Iranian leaders have pledged to 'destroy,' 'annihilate,' and 'wipe Israel off the map' with a 'big Holocaust.'"

"'Never again' will be the policy of my administration and I will stand with our ally Israel to prevent the terrorists in Tehran from achieving their own stated goal of another Holocaust," he declared.

On Sunday, Huckabee told CNN, "I think [the Iran deal] is the most dangerous situation we face -- not just for the Middle East, but for the rest of the world for a long time. This is arming and equipping a terrorist state."