Notes for the future:
to have alt-v
works I need to set the right
alt
key to be Esc+
in iTerm2
Q: How do I make the option/alt key act like Meta or send escape codes? A: Go to Preferences > Profiles tab. Select your profile on the left, and then open the Keyboard tab. At the bottom is a set of buttons that lets you select the behavior of the Option key. For most users, Esc+ will be the best choice.
from iterm2 faq