Fox News' exclusive reporting on Iran nuclear deal echoes pretext for Iraq War

Fox News is promoting a report from an Iranian exile organization that the government in Tehran has restarted nuclear weapons development in violation of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. President Donald Trump is expected to decertify the deal in coming days, and given his penchant for watching Fox News, it’s possible he will use this report as part of his justification. Fox’s rush to promote the exile group’s claims echoes moves made in the lead-up to the invasion of Iraq, when “bogus intelligence” provided by politically motivated Iraqi exiles set the pretext for a U.S. invasion.

An October 10 exclusive article published by FoxNews.com detailed a new report by the exile group National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), which “asserts that the country’s nuclear weapons program has far from halted.” According to FoxNews.com, “The Iranian Resistance has identified four major sites that ‘with high degrees of certainty’ have been involved in various aspects of the allegedly ongoing nuclear weapons project.” Fox & Friends further promoted the NCRI report during its October 11 episode. Fox contributor Newt Gingrich vouched for the group as “the best source of information inside Iran” and claimed its allegations were “probably right.” Gingrich then used the report as justification for Trump to decertify Iranian compliance with the 2015 nuclear regulatory framework brokered by the Obama administration and five other nations:

Trump Takes Aim At The IRGC

October 18, 2017  •  Al-Hurra Digital

You wouldn't know it from the media coverage surrounding President Trump's October 13th speech on Iran, but the most notable element of the Administration's new, "comprehensive" strategy toward the Islamic Republic isn't its plan to revisit the 2015 nuclear deal formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Of course, President Trump's decision to formally "decertify" that agreement should have come as a surprise to no one. During last year's presidential election, candidate Trump campaigned heavily on his opposition to the Obama administration's signature foreign policy achievement. And, since taking office in January, Mr. Trump has consistently maintained that the deal concluded two years ago between Iran and the P5+1 powers—the U.S., UK, Russia, China, France and Germany—is deeply damaging to American national security interests. That his White House would begin to rethink it, therefore, was simply a matter of time. Rather, the most notable aspect of the Administration's new approach toward Iran is its plan for a full-scale assault on regime's most powerful strategic asset: the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Republicans, Democrats Convene on Capitol Hill to Call for a Free Iran

WASHINGTON, DC – During a congressional briefing on Capitol Hill on Thursday titled “Iran Regime’s Threats and Rights Violations: Policy Options,” Republican and Democrat congressmen and congresswomen gathered to express their commitment to supporting the people of Iran in their quest to achieve a free Iran.

Rep. Tom Garrett (R-VA), Judge Ted Poe (R-TX), Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Rep. Steve Chabot (R-OH), and Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) delivered remarks at the event, hosted by the Organization of Iranian-American Communities (OIAC-US) and members of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).

Four Iranian panelists also spoke at the event.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said President Trump’s decision to “hopefully” decertify the Iran nuclear deal would present the United States with an opportunity to “press the European Union to hold Iran accountable for its illicit activity and to make them comply with the international norms” and “to tell our EU partners sanction Iran. Designate Iranian entities as the terrorist groups that they are”:

Trump decertifies Iran nuclear deal, slaps sanctions on IRGC in broadside at ‘radical regime’

“I am announcing today that we cannot and will not make this certification,” Trump said during a speech at the White House. “We will not continue down a path whose predictable conclusion is more violence, more terror, and the very real threat of Iran's nuclear breakthrough.”

Friday's announcement does not withdraw the United States from the Iran deal, which the president called “one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into.”

But the president threatened that he could still ultimately pull out of the deal.

“In the event we are not able to reach a solution working with Congress and our allies, the agreement will be terminated,” he said. “It is under continuous review and our participation can be canceled by me as president at any time.” 

Speaking to reporters ahead of Trump’s speech, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the president will use the Congressional Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act to decertify the agreement, which was negotiated over 18 months by the Obama administration.

Congress could then decide to restore sanctions, do nothing or make changes to the law. Trump is pressing Congress to work to fix the deal's "flaws."

Trump sets the stage for new policy toward Iran

"We will not continue down a path whose predictable conclusion is more violence, more chaos, the very real threat of Iran's nuclear breakout," President Trump said during his much-anticipated Friday speech, in which he made good on his promise to decertify the nuclear pact forged between Iran and world powers in 2015. While this does not mean the end of U.S. commitment to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA as the accord is formally known, it will entrust Congress with the responsibility to decide the next step.

Proponents of the JCPOA, architects of the deal, members of the former U.S. administration, and states engaged in business contracts with the regime criticized Trump's decision. They accused him of being swayed by political and personal impulses and endangering a deal solely aimed at blocking Iran's path to a nuclear bomb.

However, even without considering the host of other threats that Iran poses to regional and global security, there are clear signs the JCPOA isn't working.

Case in point is a newly published investigative report by the National Council of Resistance of Iran, which unveils the locations of several military sites that are suspected to be used for bomb-building purposes.

Trump decertifies Iran nuclear deal, slaps sanctions on IRGC in broadside at ‘radical regime’

President Trump announced Friday he will decertify the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, saying he believes the “radical regime” has committed multiple violations of the agreement as he kicked a decision over whether to restore sanctions back to Congress.

“I am announcing today that we cannot and will not make this certification,” Trump said during a speech at the White House. “We will not continue down a path whose predictable conclusion is more violence, more terror, and the very real threat of Iran's nuclear breakthrough.”

Friday's announcement does not withdraw the United States from the Iran deal, which the presidenof the deal.

“In the event we are not able to reach a solution working with Cont called “one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into.”

But the president threatened that he could still ultimately pull out gress and our allies, the agreement will be terminated,” he said. “It is under continuous review and our participation can be canceled by me as president at any time.” 

Trump decertifies Iran nuclear deal, slaps sanctions on IRGC in broadside at ‘radical regime’

The White House unveils new Iran strategy

• broadside at ‘radical regime’
• Hawks top doves in political war over Iran deal
• Full transcript of President Trump's remarks about the Iran nuclear deal

Fox News, Oct. 14, 2017 - President Trump announced Friday he will decertify the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, saying he believes the “radical regime” has committed multiple violations of the agreement as he kicked a decision over whether to restore sanctions back to Congress.
 “I am announcing today that we cannot and will not make this certification,” Trump said dror, and the very real threat of Iran's nuclear breakthrough.”uring a speech at the White House. “We will not continue down a path whose predictable conclusion is more violence, more ter
Friday's announcement does not withdraw the United States from the Iran deal, which the president called “one of the oworst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered int.”

But the president threatened that he could still ultimately pull out of the deal.
“In the event we are not able to reach a solution working with Congress and our allies, the agreement will be terminated,” he said. “It is under continuous review and our participation can be canceled by me as president at any time.”
 Video

Report: Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps Runs Secret Sites for Illegal Nuclear Development

WASHINGTON, DC – On Wednesday, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) released a new 52-page investigative report titled, “Iran’s Nuclear Core: Uninspected Military Sites” that purports to name four new military sites, and two headquarters where the Iranian regime is allegedly advancing its nuclear program, far from compliance.

These sites are not listed as approved under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or Iran nuclear deal.

With the looming October 15 deadline, President Donald Trump must decide whether he will announce that Iran is complying and  the deal struck by the Obama administration or whether, based on information provided to him, he will decide the regime is cheating and decertify the historic deal.

The extensive ebook report provides a full picture of the Iranian regime’s weaponization program, which Alireza Jafarzadeh, deputy director of the NCRI’s Washington office, told Breitbart News “is at the core of their entire nuclear program.”

TRUMP TO UNVEIL NEW RESPONSES TO IRANIAN 'BAD BEHAVIOR' WHITE HOUSE

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -OCTOBER 7, 2017-  President Donald Trump will announce new U.S. responses to Iran’s missile tests, support for “terrorism” and cyber operations as part of his new Iran strategy, the White House said on Friday.“The president isn’t looking at one piece of this. He’s looking at all of the bad behavior of Iran,” Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, told reporters.

“Not just the nuclear deal as bad behavior, but the ballistic missile testing, destabilizing of the region, Number One state sponsor of terrorism, cyber attacks, illicit nuclear program,” Sanders continued.

Trump “wants to look for a broad strategy that addresses all of those problems, not just one-offing those,” she said. “That’s what his team is focused on and that’s what he’ll be rolling out to address that as a whole in the coming days.”

A senior administration official told Reuters on Thursday that Trump was expected to announce he will decertify the landmark international deal curbing Iran’s nuclear program, in a step that could cause the accord to unravel.

Trump on Friday declined to explain what he meant when he described a gathering of military leaders the evening before as “the calm before the storm,” but the White House said his remarks were not meant to be mischievous.

The administration was considering Oct. 12 for Trump to give a speech on Iran, but no final decision had been made, an official said previously.

Trump's decertification of the nuclear deal could be what Iran's rulers fear most

Varying sources have confirmed that President Trump will decertify the Iran nuclear  an Oct. 15 deadline. This will mean that the president does not see the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as the deal is formally known, as vital to the national security interests of the U.S. It will then be up to Congress to decide whether to scrap the deal and reimpose sanctions on the Iranian regime or to preserve it and take other necessary measures to address its flaws.

The question now is what this move means for Iranian regime, and how its leaders will react? Iranian officials have threatened to walk away from the deal and the enrichment of uranium on several reprises in the past months as Trump intensified the tough talk against the accord's failures and Tehran's unlawful ventures.

Trump expected to decertify Iran nuclear deal, official says

WASHINGTON, Reuters, October 5, 2017  - President Donald Trump is expected to announce soon that he will decertify the landmark international deal to curb Iran’s nuclear program, a senior administration official said on Thursday, in a step that potentially could cause the 2015 accord to unravel.

Trump has been weighing whether the pact, which he has called an “embarrassment,” serves U.S. security interests as he faces an Oct. 15 deadline for certifying that Iran is complying with it.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Trump is also expected to roll out a broader U.S. strategy on Iran that would be more confrontational. The Trump administration has frequently criticized Iran’s conduct in the Middle East.

If Trump declines to certify Iran’s compliance, U.S. congressional leaders would have 60 days to decide whether to reimpose sanctions on Tehran suspended under the agreement.

The Washington Post first reported Trump’s plans to say that he will decertify the deal.https://www.mojahedin.org/newsen/58585/Trump-expected-to-decertify-Iran-nuclear-deal-official-says

Iran Feeling The Heat From Trump On Nuclear Deal

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 5: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a briefing with senior military leaders in the Cabinet Room of the White House October 5, 2017 in Washington, D.C. Mattis said this week that the U.S. and allies are 'holding the line' against the Taliban in Afghanistan as forecasts of a significant offensive by the militants remain unfulfilled. (Photo by Andrew Harrer-Pool/Getty Image

“Once the deal is decertified, and Congress appears to be on the brink of reapplying sanctions, that could change not only Iran’s calculus but also the European allies’ calculus,” said James Phillips, a Middle Eastern affairs expert at the Washington-based Heritage Foundation tank in an interview with CNBC.

The Trump Administration is raising the tempo on decertifying Iran over the nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), envisaging a temporary relief of various sanctions imposed on Iran in return for a curb of this regime’s nuclear program.

According to Politico, Trump’s national security team has urged him unanimously to decertify the JCPOA prior to the October 15th deadline, while National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster is brewing an inclusive Iran strategy, due October 31st, on escalating pressure against the regime.

Trump prepares to wound Iran deal — and then save it

Donald Trump’s national security team has unanimously recommended that he decertify the Iran nuclear deal — but that he stop short of pushing Congress to reimpose sanctions on Tehran that could unravel the agreement.

Trump’s team plans to work with Congress and European allies to apply new pressure on the Iranian regime, according to a strategy developed in an Iran policy review led by national security adviser H.R. McMaster. But the strategy assumes the nuclear deal will remain intact for now.

The deliberations ahead of an Oct. 15 deadline to certify Iran’s compliance with the deal, a centerpiece of President Barack Obama’s foreign policy agenda, were described by a half-dozen sources inside and outside the administration who have participated in the internal debate.

How Trump Can Improve the Iran Deal

Ballistic missiles next to a portrait of Iran’s supreme leader in Tehran, Sept. 25.

He can decertify the accord as too dangerous to continue while renegotiating its worst aspects.

By Mark Dubowitz and  David Albright

The Wall Street Journal, September 25, 2017 - Powerful voices at home and abroad are pressuring President Trump to give his blessing to his predecessor’s nuclear agreement with Iran. Mr. Trump has repeatedly pledged to renegotiate the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or scrap it altogether. There is a way for him to highlight the agreement’s egregious deficiencies while showing his determination to improve the deal or leave it. We call this strategy “decertify, waive, slap and fix.”

The president should follow through on his commitments by refusing to certify the JCPOA under the 2015 Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act. That law requires Mr. Trump to certify every 90 days that Iran is fully implementing the nuclear deal and hasn’t significantly advanced its nuclear-weapons program. Additionally, he must certify whether the suspension of sanctions remains vital to U.S. national-security interests and proportionate to Iran’s efforts to terminate its illicit nuclear programs. The next 90-day deadline is Oct. 15.