Despite howls of protest by the Left, the foreign-policy establishment, and European leaders, and contrary to misleading assessments by U.S. intelligence agencies, it is now clear that President Trump’s decision last May to withdraw the United States from the controversial 2015 nuclear deal with Iran (the JCPOA) was the right call and is a huge policy success.
Trump’s JCPOA withdrawal did not lead to war with Iran, as many critics predicted. Instead, Iran is far more isolated than it was when President Trump assumed office. The United States has worked to unite its Middle East allies, especially Israel and Saudi Arabia, against Iran and, in Warsaw this month, will co-chair an international conference with Poland on the threat from Iran. Iran’s economy is under unprecedented pressure thanks to reimposed U.S. sanctions, especially oil sanctions, with negative 1.5 percent growth in 2018 and an expected negative 3.6 percent growth in 2019. Iran’s current year-on-year inflation rate through last month was 40 percent.
Some Trump critics predicted that any effort by the president to reimpose U.S. sanctions lifted by the JCPOA would have little effect, since other parties to the agreement — in particular the EU, Germany, France, and the U.K. — would not follow suit. But numerous European companies have resisted pressure from their governments to defy reimposed U.S. sanctions. On January 31, European leaders announced a special finance facility to help European firms skirt U.S. sanctions on Iran, but that initiative is months behind schedule and few experts believe it will work.
Instead, as a result of reimposed U.S. sanctions, European airlines Air France, British Airways, and KLM ended service to Iran last year. European companies Total, Siemens, and Volkswagen also withdrew from Iran, along with U.S. companies GE, Boeing, and Honeywell and the Russian oil firm Lukoil. In November, Germany’s Bundesbank changed its rules so it could reject an Iranian request to withdraw 300 million euros from Hamburg-based trade bank Europäische-Iranische Handelsbank, to protect the central bank’s relationships with institutions in “third countries.” That is, the United States.
Before the U.S. withdrawal, JCPOA critics made strong arguments about the accord’s weaknesses, especially Iran’s refusal to allow International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors access to military sites. The lone exception is the Parchin military base, self-inspected by Iranians. There the IAEA obtained evidence of covert nuclear-weapons work. There were other credible reports of Iranian cheating before the U.S. withdrawal, including several from German intelligence agencies. Senators Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton, Marco Rubio, and David Perdue raised Iranian noncompliance and cheating on the JCPOA in a July 2017 letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.
JCPOA supporters rejected those criticisms, noting that the IAEA repeatedly declared Iran to be in compliance with the nuclear agreement. However, they refused to admit that the IAEA reached its compliance findings by claiming that Iranian violations were not “material breaches” and by not asking to inspect Iranian military facilities (which Tehran has declared off limits) even though they are the likely locations of covert nuclear-weapons work.
A disturbing report concerning the Arak reactor arose late last month when Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran’s nuclear agency, claimed that Iran did violate the JCPOA by disabling the reactor and filling it with cement, and that Iran secretly acquired banned equipment to keep the reactor functional. If true, this would mean Iran fooled the JCPOA parties and IAEA inspectors on a major compliance issue. The IAEA has not commented publicly on the matter.
At last week’s worldwide-threat briefing to the Senate Intelligence Committee, the U.S. intelligence community reported that Iran is technically complying with the JCPOA, a finding that reflects both the IC’s history of liberal bias on assessments of weapons of mass destruction (as seen after the Iraq War as well) and the failure of the Trump administration to take steps to clean out key intelligence offices that were stacked with analysts who favored Obama-administration policies during the last administration. At National Review Online in 2015, I wrote about a CIA official who tried to pressure me to support the agency’s pro-Obama line on Iran’s nuclear program even though I had left the CIA and was working for the House Intelligence Committee staff.
JCPOA backers also prefer not to discuss the fact that Tehran can advance its nuclear-weapons program without violating the agreement, since the accord allows Iran to improve its capability to make nuclear-weapons fuel — that its, to enrich uranium with over 5,000 centrifuges and develop advanced centrifuges. Moreover, although the agreement required Iran to disable its Arak heavy-water reactor (a source of plutonium), which was under construction, under the JCPOA a new heavy-water reactor will be built that will be capable of producing one-fourth of a weapon’s worth of plutonium per year. That arrangement will enable Iran not only to gain knowledge on how to build and operate heavy-water reactors but also to have access to plutonium, the ideal fuel for nuclear weapons.
@Michael: Just using a term found in one of Madam Secretary of State Hillary Clintons forwarded emails.
Funny you were not aware of that Im sure Greg is.
@kitt:
So, no. Not humor. Just a phrase you like.
Why is it funny?
@Michael: Just find your ignorance amusing thats all. Who knows why she would forward such a thing she had an assistant that was muslim. One that forwarded all her emails to her husband the pervs laptop.
Wikileaks is a treasure trove of what a racist old hag she really is and once in a while I like to remind Greg how lucky we are she was not elected.
@kitt:
You use a racial slur of your own accord and then try to blame somebody else for your use of the slur.
You use the slur and then pretend to deplore somebody else’s use of the slur.
@Michael: You are slow Greg is often using debunked crap he learned on his tv to attempt deflection off topic. He as his tv heros are about to take the loss and its the last gasps.
But if its good enough for Stinky it should be main stream like sacrificing chickens and other things Hillarys coven does.
(you know Im really not answering you, you were just dumb enough to bite.
May 18,2019 — The Trump administration has already built its case for Iran war
The author is far too generous. Actually, no case has been made. Things have gone into motion without anyone having bothered. We don’t even have the dubious reasons we were given before the second invasion of Iraq. No one has stated an objective and explained how that might be attained; certainly no one has discussed the potentially disastrous short term and long term consequences. There’s been nothing but a rising level of threatening rhetoric and military forces being positioned. It’s a prelude to war without rationalization.
@Greg: No matter how much you express faux frantic concern over Iran, the investigations of Obama and his merry band of seditionist traitors is moving forward. I don’t know who you are trying to fool by pretending to be worried that we are on the brink of war with Iran. They only way hostilities will break out is if Iran does something stupid like take some US sailors prisoner in international waters. They are not so stupid as to think they would get thank you’s like they did when Obama the Idiot was in office.
What worries me—and there’s nothing false about it—is that we show every appearance of being ready to go to war with Iran for no specific reason, with no clear objective, and with every possibility of enormous costs in lives and resources. We’ve seen this movie before. I don’t want to watch it again.
@Greg: Norman Schwarzkopf warned them of the mire of the ME. The NWO progressive fools would not listen.
Trump is of a different cloth when MadDog wouldnt seal the deal there was trouble in Paradise.
When done correctly it took a 100-hour ground offensive—which defeated the Iraqi Army and liberated Kuwait in early 1991 the 4th largest Army on the planet was kaput.
No leadership change no destablization of the country so terrorists could run open slave markets like in once prosperous Lybia. Jr just couldnt leave well enough alone and just have a defanged despot alone to rattle an empty sabre.
I’m still waiting to hear about the threat Iran supposedly made that started all of this, because from Tehran, an approaching carrier battle group probably looks very much like a serious threat from the United States.
@Greg: It was based on intelligence intercepts, so you won’t. Don’t worry; Iran is aware Obama is no longer President, so they won’t try any of their normal petty crap to thump their chest; they know they’d get thumped if they did.
@Greg:
lol I bet it does might look bigger than Barrys Red line in the sand.
May 24, 2019 — Trump deploys extra 1,500 troops to the Middle East in a ‘protective capacity’ as tensions grow with Iran
That should help reduce tensions.
I’m still waiting to hear about the threat from Iran that kicked this whole thing off.
You’re going to need to do better than that.
@Greg:
Like what? 14 not good enough?
@Greg:
The DoD didn’t notify you? I’m still waiting to hear what threat Libya posed to the United States when Hillary and Blumenthal decided to destabilize the country. Remember how outraged you were about that? Oh, well.
https://www.blabber.buzz/conservative-news/576021-us-intel-warns-iran-plotting-tactical-surprise-attacks-in-gulf-special?utm_source=c-alrt&utm_medium=c-alrt-email&utm_term=c-alrt-GI
@kitt:
Like what? is the relevant question, since 14 is nothing but a number.
Maybe he’s referring to attacks of indigestion. That might be from the cheeseburgers.
@Greg: And then there is reality, you back a country that chants death to America, just because your commie loved Muslims more than America.
A bit of childhood wisdom regarding sticks and stones might be worth remembering. I wouldn’t risk a single American soldier’s life to stop them from chanting.
Actually, he’s provoking them. First he unilaterally deep-sixed the nuclear deal, which they were in compliance with, and reimposed sanctions. He orders our allies to up their own sanctions, or get the trade war treatment themselves. Then he orders a carrier battle group into the area, citing some undisclosed threat. That was followed by the deployment of 1,500 more troops to the Middle East, a comment that we’d send as many more as necessary, and a Twitter post about destroying Iran if they blinked. Now he has declared a national emergency to rationalize selling $8 Billion worth of weapons to the Saudi’s, Iran’s regional enemy, in defiance of Congress, which had been blocking the sale for months. Because the Saudis, who recently murdered and dismembered a U.S. resident journalist, will use them in their war against Yemen.
One word comes to mind: Crazy.
@Greg: Nothing has been done the 1500 service men they report isnt exactly truthful some of those are already there and their tours extended.
ABC says the recent rocket was fired by Iranis https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/…
Not a threat?
@Greg:
Which was never presented to Congress, never signed by any Americans and never signed by any Iranians. It was a farce, an insult to the United States, something Obama enjoyed doing.
@Deplorable Me:
It wasn’t a frickin’ treaty. It was an executive agreement, which is the way most international understandings are reached and effectuated. Executive agreements don’t require ratification by Congress. They’re Executive Branch actions, falling under the heading of foreign relations.
Trump has the same power in this capacity. The problem is that, unlike Obama, he’s a clueless nincompoop. He has turned a mutually beneficial joint agreement that successfully redirected Iran away from nuclear weapons into what looks like the setup for a potentially disastrous military confrontation, and there is no apparent upside. There’s not even a clearly stated objective, let alone any readily apparent means to achieve one. This is the sort of thing we ignored before charging into Iraq.
Maybe we need a constitutional amendment requiring people to pass a qualification test before being allowed to run for president.
@Greg:
That’s right. Obama tried to keep as many of the details of the agreement away from Congress, including the secret agreements that Congress was not told about. Had it been a GOOD deal for America, it COULD have been voted on and secured in place. The fact that it wasn’t speaks for itself.
Unlike Obama, Trump is a LEADER. Unlike Obama, he’s not a gutless, spineless terrorism enabler. Unlike Obama, instead of allowing ISIS to spread, he KILLED THEM. Unlike Obama, Trump is not a lying, incompetent piece of shit.
Why do you think Rhodes bragged about the “echo chamber” he created to make the Iran deal sound like a good deal? Because it was a TERRIBLE deal.
Being a leader is insufficient. Criminal gangs have leaders. Nor is being assertive sufficient, for the same reason. As for the accusation that Obama is a terrorist enabler, it’s b.s. Geopolitics is complex. It’s a minefield. Maybe you should give more thought to who the people are that Trump might be enabling.
@Greg:
By itself, perhaps, but it is a vital necessity if one intends to lead the greatest, most powerful and most influential nation on earth. “Leading from behind” is the cowards way out.
Indeed, the leader of the criminal gang called “the Obama regime” was Obama himself. Seems the only “leadership” he can provide is leading willing accomplices away from the Constitution.
Well, no it isn’t. It is, in fact, documented. ISIS grew 4400% after Obama pulled all our forces out of Iraq. ISIS spread to Libya after he, Hillary and Blumenthall destabilized it. Lifting the sanctions on Iran and providing them with a huge influx of CASH went directly to Hezbollah, Syria, Yemen and other terrorist battlegrounds. That is about as enabling as it gets.
Now that Trump has reimposed sanctions, Hezbollah is starved for cash. Iran is telling their other terror surrogates to make do on their own. Instead of FEEDING terrorists, Trump is starving them. Like the Democrats denied of collusion and obstruction, the Iranians react the same way; they lash out and make threats.
Trump faces their threats down. Do you think for a second they might try to capture some of our sailors in international waters, like they did under Obama, embarrassing him, Kerry, the US Navy and the entire nation? Hardly; they want to live to cause terror another day. That’s only a good plan when a gutless coward is in office.
Thank GOD we have Trump instead of the criminal, drunken liar Hillary. She would have sold leases to terrorists and deposited the cash directly into the Clinton Foundation Personal ATM.
June 13, 2019 — Tankers Off Iran Hit by Suspected Torpedoes
One question to ask is Who would benefit from retaliation against Iran?
Iran most definitely would not. Torpedoing tankers at this point would be a stunningly stupid move. The Iranians are not stunningly stupid.
Another fact to consider is that Saudi Arabia has four U.S. built Badr-class corvettes equipped with 12-inch torpedo tubes.
The Saudis are already claiming that the Houthis did it.
@Greg: Its already being called a false flag, people arent as dumb as the neocons think.
@kitt: Remember, it doesn’t take much to prompt Greg to jump onto the anti-Trump, anti-America bandwagon. It’s also a fact that Iran can pretend to not be involved, since Obama gave them plenty of money to fund surrogates to commit such acts of terror.
@Deplorable Me: I suspect someone is trying to lure us into another war. We have plenty of gas we can let them sort things out for themselves.
@kitt: Whoever did it is in a lot of trouble with environmental groups; this is contributing to global warming.
@Deplorable Me, #77:
War with Iran would be a very serious mistake. We have enemies who would like to see us make that error. It would give them free rein.
@Greg: The CFR would disagree they are subversive.
Any war is a very bad idea but if there was a planned campaign as General Norman had Iran would topple in 24 hours. I cant see Trump agreeing to pay for cleaning up Saudis and Isreals problem children.
Pompeo says we have intelligence indicating Iran is behind the torpedoing of the tankers. I just don’t see how that makes sense. Iran would have nothing to gain and much to lose. I think somebody is trying to set up a war. Both the Saudis and the neocons influencing the Trump administration could be pushing that. Iran regime change is a long-standing neocon agenda; the Saudis would like nothing better to see Iran diminished, and for someone else to do the work.
@Greg: Dammit, I agree reaching into our pockets for a thing they want done.
Nothing will ever bring peace to that region, let them slap eachother around and we stand back and make sure they fight nice, no nukes.
@Greg: And who talks all the time about war with Iran? Oh, yeah… that’s right. DEMOCRATS.
They don’t have much to gain from using a nuclear weapon against Israel, either, but they’re determined to get one and have pledged to “wipe Israel off the map”. However, if they have used surrogates to attack this shipping and they get attacked for it, they can claim the retribution is unfair and try to rally their population. They know they can count on our Democrats to take their side in any conflict.
@kitt: It’s a good thing we don’t allow the left to stop us from securing our own energy supplies, huh? Being energy independent gives us more options if Iran tries to cut off supplies through the Straits. Democrats would have us dependent and desperate.
From FOX News, June 13, 2019 — Jim Hanson: Iran’s aggression may force Trump to launch military attack
I don’t believe it has been clearly established that Iran was even behind the attacks. The idea that the Iranians would imagine this would somehow pressure the U.S. to remove sanctions is pretty much nuts. How else would they benefit?
There’s abundant reason to suspect a false flag operation. Who has motives? Who might think they could use a war to their advantage?
@Greg: You going to take some guys opinion whos nick name is Uncle Jimbo? FFS turn off the boobtube!
I had to look up who that ass clown was.
JIM HANSON, Executive Vice President at the Center for Security Policy, former Operator in the US Army Special Forces:
Russian knowledge of Assad’s use of chemical weapons (possible false flag)
https://www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/tag/jim-hanson/
you can listen to a couple of his podcasts
Tweets by Uncle_Jimbo
Trump has yet to comment, I hope he proceeds with extreme caution and restraint.
Unfortunately, the boob tube is fairly accurate indicator of the direction in which public opinion is being manipulated. It looks suspiciously like an effort is being made to set the stage for a military action. Trump is known to watch FOX News regularly. The pitch for military action might also be directed at him. It will be interesting to see what he says. FOX has been aligned with neocon agendas in the past.
@Greg: Word is twitter was suspending anyone calling it a false flag or that Iran did not commit the bombing the boob tube isnt the only way public opinion is formed SM banning conservatives from platforms, pro Trump groups from facebook even pintrest banning religious based postings using porn algorithms. Vox demanding You Tube take down conservative content even conservative comedy Steven Crowder.
Seems the first amendment doesnt mean much to leftist fascist control freaks.
Bidens 180 on abortion funding at a hollywood harlots whim.
We actually recovered one of the Limpet mines that did not explode. Lots of evidence available. We don’t have to go to war. Perhaps this might convince some other nations that value their commerce with Iran more than they value stopping terrorism.
@Deplorable Me, #89:
Did the Iranians forget to remove it? Is Made In Iran printed on the bottom? I haven’t seen anything at all suggesting that we recovered a mine.
As a matter of fact, I still haven’t seen anything specific concerning the supposed Iranian provocations that led to a carrier being ordered into the area. For all I can tell, it’s mainly been the Trump administration doing the provoking, beginning with the unilateral dumping of the nuclear agreement. For all I know, pressuring Iran was a secret part of our arms deal with Saudi Arabia.
June 14, 2019 — As fears of war loom, Trump’s Iran policy, arms deals face challenges in Congress
Nice photo of Donald and Crown Prince Mohammed (“The Butcher”) bin Salman. Look closely at bin Salman’s face. This is not a man we should be selling $12.5 billion worth of advanced American-made killing technology to.
They were thinking ignoring Congress would be limited to ignoring subpoenas? After he lifted sanctions on Oleg Deripaska’s companies despite strong bipartisan opposition in Congress?
Actually, there’s no potential for that whatsoever unless Senate republicans are willing to stand up to Donald Trump and aid in a bipartisan effort to rein in presidential overreach.
@Greg: Why did Iran detain the crew of one of the tankers? Why did Iran run off (in international waters) the tugs sent to tow the disabled tanker to safety? Why did Iran fire on a US drone?
The reverse is true. The left is who is making the noise about impending war, trying to drown out the news of investigations into the origination of the failed coup against Trump, Obama’s abuse of power and the weaponization of the DOJ, FBI and IC. Not that you’ve ever heard anything Trump actually says, preferring your liberal media interpretations, but he is absolutely against involvement in any wars that can be avoided. It is the left wagging the dog, not Trump.
Once again the left takes the side of our adversary instead of supporting the US and our military. Monotony.
Hmm…. basing foreign policy on impressions from a photo. At least Hillary based hers on the highest bidder.
The deal was only good for Iran, who was allowed to cheat and do whatever it wanted as we paid them $150 billion to bend to their will. YOU doubt everything Trump does and says while you trust Putin to take Iran’s uranium… like they did Syria’s chemical weapons. Again, the enemy of your country is your friend, to paraphrase.
Yet Trump has made no indication he intends any large scale military operations that would require Congressional approval. I don’t remember you squalling about Obama attacking Libya (and Hillary and Blumenthall’s request) without authorization and creating yet another fertile breeding ground for ISIS and resulting in the sacking of our consulate, killing our Ambassador and three defenders.
@Greg: Would you stop linking to wapo please them and NYT dont allow you to read their articles without subscription. Certainly all your liberal sources have been sent the talking points.
Ive seen, as grainy as a UFO photo, of Iranian guard allegedly removing an explosive device from one of the ships, I would have to assume it was one of theirs just trying to pry one of those off they have a tendency to go boom.
https://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/STATEMENTS/Statements-View/Article/1875666/us-central-command-statement-on-june-13-limpet-mine-attack-in-the-gulf-of-oman/
The images are strange, if these devices are put on by divers, why the hell are they so far above the waterline of the ship?
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/jun/13/iran-revolutionary-guard-seen-removing-mine-tanker/ (grainy bigfoot like photo)
The contention that the saudis killed the reporter , Turkey hates Saudis, we only have their word on the murder its the sunnis and shiites thing, so take that with a grain. I’m no fan of the Saudis, most of the 911 crew were Saudis.
As Trump wants to create military complex jobs the anti trump media will push any angle on a story to thwart any efforts of his or to make Trump look bad. The media doesnt care about destroying good paying middle class jobs with benefits.
Obamas crew needs to keep their nose out of everything now, Kerrys meetings with the Iranis is counterproductive. Put out an interpol warrant and jail his treasonous ass.
@kitt:
Perhaps they are set off by remote control and they know who has the switch?
Recall when Obama had all his favorite murderous African dictators for a White House visit? I bet Greg was LIVID, though he controlled his anger very well, letting not a hint of it leak into any posts here.
Perhaps Greg should look back at some of Trump’s past statements he and the rest of the sore loser Democrats denounced as lies; they all seem to get proven factual.
@Deplorable Me: Perhaps they are set off by remote control and they know who has the switch?, the maker will be found and promptly beheaded for making the dud.
I am not saying Iran did not target these vessels, just have questions.
@kitt: I’m not certain, either, but Trump rarely takes a stance on these things without quality knowledge. Plus, all this war talk is coming strictly from the left to try and disguise their total disarray and fear of the investigations Barr is running.
@Deplorable Me: A little walk down memory lane..
Rocketman gonna nuke us, Trump ends NATO, Trump crashes economy….Its a knee jerk reaction, Trump sneezes he has Ebola but too insane to realize it.
@Deplorable Me, #91:
Because it was in Iranian territorial waters?
Did the Iranians “detain” the crew, or did they “rescue” them? Were they “retrieving” an limpet mine, or were they “removing” an explosive device?
The fact is, we don’t really know the facts. Everybody has got an ulterior motive for spinning the story. One thing I do know is that the Trump administration can’t be relied upon to tell the truth. The same, of course, can be said for the Iranians, and most definitely for the Saudis.
Another think I know is that entering a third war in the Middle East would be nothing short of moronic.
June 15, 2019 — Front Altair leaves Iran waters after Gulf of Oman attacks
@Greg: Now, Iranians have fired on a US aircraft, you know… because of Trump.
Still the enemy of your country is your friend, huh?
No, the tanker was in international waters and they didn’t “rescue”; they detained. Because they are terrorists
https://www.asil.org/insights/volume/16/issue/16/transit-passage-rights-strait-hormuz…
Iran should not interfere with innocent traffic in the strait. EVER
Every vessel should respond to an SOS detainment has not been established
@kitt: I bet if someone told Greg the Iranians were wearing MAGA caps when they attacked he’d believe it.