Another blow to President Obama’s beloved Iran nuclear deal, so it’s no wonder it’s not plastered all over the news.
Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency chief Yossi Cohen is “100 percent certain” that Iran has not abandoned the idea of possessing a nuclear bomb.
From The Associated Press:
Cohen called the nuclear deal a “terrible mistake,” saying it allows Iran to keep key elements of its nuclear program intact and will remove other restraints in a few years.“Then Iran will be able to enrich enough uranium for an arsenal of nuclear bombs,” Cohen said, according to the meeting participant, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was discussing a classified security matter.Cohen also criticized the deal’s easing of sanctions, saying it has resulted in “significantly increased” aggression by Iran, and noted Iran’s continued development of long-range ballistic missiles.“As head of the Mossad, I am 100 percent certain that Iran has never abandoned its military nuclear vision for a single instant. This deal enables Iran to achieve that vision,” Cohen said. “That is why I believe the deal must be completely changed or scrapped. The failure to do so would be a grave threat to Israel’s security.”
But we were told Israel loved the deal…
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has never liked the deal and has insisted that Iran remains a top threat to the country.
The comments come about a month before Trump’s May 12 deadline of renegotiating parts of the deal. The AP also reported that his aides have started to prepare “for the likelihood” that Trump will withdraw America from the deal:
Still, with less than five weeks until President Donald Trump’s deadline, national security officials are exploring various “day after” scenarios. Those include how to sell a pullout as the correct strategy, how aggressively to reimpose U.S. sanctions on Iran that had been lifted under the agreement and how to deal with Iranian and European fallout from such a step, according to officials, diplomats and outside advisers to the administration.The planning is at an early stage but has taken on greater urgency as the clock ticks toward mid-May, when Trump has said he’ll walk away unless his concerns are addressed. Another catalyst is the anticipated arrival of two new Trump aides strongly opposed to the deal: Mike Pompeo and John Bolton.
Under the agreement, Iran promised “curbs and inspections on its nuclear program in exchange for relief from international sanctions.” Those who support the deal claim that it pushes back Iran’s nuclear program 10 to 15 years.
Despite the promises, Iran has not fully cooperated. Back in August, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley met with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to discuss US concerns about the deal. Iranian officials told IAEA not to share any information with Haley:
But Iranian officials argued that the meeting undermined “the independence and credibility” of the inspectors and warned the IAEA not to share extra information about the regime’s nuclear program.“Any contribution to the destructive approach of the US Administration to undermine ‘successful implementation’ of the [nuclear deal], or sharing any information on Iran and its nuclear activities, which is not included in regular updates that Director General provides to the IAEA Board of Governors, with any third party including the U.S. government’s envoy will not be in conformity with the above-mentioned provision,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote in a letter to the IAEA.
A few months later, Haley accused Russia of protecting Iran from the nuclear inspections. From Fox News:
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley indicated Thursday that Russia was shielding Iran by blocking the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from verifying part of the deal. The IAEA initially revealed the news to a reporter in a Q&A. Meanwhile, under a requirement from Congress, Trump must choose whether to certify the deal by October 15.Yukiya Amano, the IAEA Director General, told Reuters that his agency’s “tools are limited,” regarding verification of section T in the nuclear deal.Section T of the Iran nuclear deal, which is also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), prohibits activities related to “design and development” of a nuclear weapon.
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