Netanyahu's Fake Claims About Iran's Nuclear Program

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)

Like Trump, Netanyahu is a serial liar. Neither one can be trusted. Nothing they claim on vital issues is credible. Deception and Big Lies substitute for truth-telling.

Netanyahu's disinformation on Iran's nuclear program not coincidentally was announced  days ahead of Trump's decision on whether to stick with or pull out of the JCPOA. 

He urges the latter, wanting nuclear-related sanctions reimposed, killing the deal, along with terror-bombing Syrian military sites where Iranian military advisors are based, hoping to provoke retaliation to be used as a pretext for escalated aggression, perhaps with war on the Islamic Republic in mind.

Repeated IAEA inspections of Iranian nuclear facilities contradict Netanyahu claiming Israel has thousands of incriminating documents, charts, presentations, photos and videos, showing Tehran lied for years to the international community.

"We have shared this evidence with the US which confirms its authenticity and with other powers," he roared.

Without credible evidence backing his announcement, he claimed Iran has a secret nuclear weapons program called Project Amad - to "design, produce and test 5 warheads, each of 10 kilotons TNT yield for integration on a missile."

He claims Iran built a secret underground facility for developing nuclear cores and implosion systems.

He turned truth on its head, saying "Iran lied about never having had a nuclear (weapons) program and, even after signing the nuclear accord, continued to preserve and expand its nuclear knowhow for future use," adding:

"Based on lies and deception, the accord gave Iran a clear path to an atomic arsenal It is therefore a terrible deal. In a few days Trump will make a decision. I am sure he will do the right thing for the US, Israel and world peace."  

Trump responded to Netanyahu's claims saying: "This is just not an acceptable situation, as I've said all along."

In a 2012 General Assembly address, Netanyahu made a fool of himself before a world audience. His cartoon bomb presentation on Iran bombed. 

The Wall Street Journal compared it to Nikita Krushchev's shoe-banging incident. Yesterday's presentation was a similar stunt, fooling no one, likely coordinated closely with Trump administration hardliners.

Numerous times he falsely accused Iran of wanting Israel destroyed. Ahead of Bush/Cheney's 2003 aggression on Iraq, he lied to Congress claiming "(t)here is no question whatsoever that Saddam is seeking and is working and is advancing towards the development of nuclear weapons."

In August 1995, Saddam's son-in-law Hussein Kamel defected to the West. He headed Iraq's weapons programs. 

Debriefed by US intelligence officials, he explained no nuclear weapons program existed. After the Gulf War, "Iraq destroyed all its chemical and biological weapons stocks and missiles to deliver them."

Time and again Netanyahu turned truth on its head about Iran. IAEA general director Yukiya  Amano said Tehran is in full compliance with JCPOA obligations. 

In a March 5 statement to the agency's Board of Governors, he said: "As of today, I can state that Iran is implementing its nuclear-related commitments," adding:

"The JCPOA represents a significant gain for verification. It is essential that Iran continues to fully implement those commitments. If the JCPOA were to fail, it would be a great loss for nuclear verification and for multilateralism."

IAEA officials have unimpeded access to all Iranian sites designated for inspection. "The Agency continues to verify the non-diversion of nuclear material declared by Iran under its Safeguards Agreement," Amano stressed, adding:

"IAEA inspectors…spend 3,000 calendar days per year on the ground in Iran. We have installed…2,000 tamper-proof seals on nuclear material and equipment." 

"We collect and analyze hundreds of thousands of images captured daily by our sophisticated surveillance cameras in Iran - about half of the total number of such images that we collect throughout the world."

Iran's nuclear program is the most intensively monitored on the planet. It has no military component, no evidence suggesting otherwise.

Israel is nuclear armed and dangerous. It prohibits inspections of its nuclear facilities. 

During his Monday announcement, Netanyahu said nothing about his country's nuclear arsenal - nothing about its willingness to use nukes in response to a serious national security threat, perhaps preemptively against Iran if naked aggression on the country is launched.

Tehran threatens no one. It hasn't attacked another country in centuries. Israel and America threaten regional and world peace.

Ahead of Netanyahu's Monday announcement, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif mocked him, tweeting: "The boy who can't stop crying wolf is at it again."

"Undeterred by (his) cartoon fiasco at UNGA. You can only fool some of the people so many times."

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini responded to Netanyahu's claims, saying:

"What I have seen from the first reports is that Prime Minister Netanyahu has not put into question Iran's compliance with the JCPOA commitments…"

Netanyahu's so-called "conclusive proof of the secret" Iranian nuclear program is his latest deception - as phony as his earlier UNGA ticking time bomb stunt.

Mogherini tweeted: "IAEA is the only impartial international organization in charge of monitoring Iran's nuclear commitments." 

"If any country has information of non-compliance of any kind should address this information to the proper legitimate and recognized mechanism."

Britain defended Iran's JCPOA compliance, a government spokesman saying IAEA monitoring "is one of the most extensive and robust in the history of international nuclear accords."

"It remains a vitally important way of independently verifying that Iran is adhering to the deal and that Iran's nuclear program is exclusively peaceful."

A German government spokesman made a similar statement, stressing the JCPOA "include(s) an unprecedented, thorough and robust surveillance system by the International Atomic Energy Agency."

Former State Department official John Hughes called Netanyahu's announcement "a political statement meant to try to influence President Trump's decision on whether to pull out of the deal. (I)t's mostly recycled material."

Netanyahu's claimed "secret (Iranian) nuclear files" exist only in the minds of extremists like himself wanting its sovereign independent government replaced by pro-Western rule.

Nothing he said on Monday was credible. Time and again he was proved a liar.

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