Fresh off its humiliating six-year-long debacle in Syria, and with very few viable wars within its grasp, the Pentagon, along with the Israeli Lobby-led US Congress and Senate – are now trying to tighten the noose on Iran.
For the last 3 weeks, hawkish Republican Senators have been pressuring President Donald Trump to “decertify” the Iran nuclear deal in October, and to reimpose harsh sanctions – despite the fact that Iran is in full compliance with the international P5+1 brokered nuclear containment agreement.
According to the terms of the deal as recognized by Congress, the President must re-certify the deal every 90 days.
LITTLE MARCO: It’s clear that Marco Rubio is firmly in the pocket of the Israeli Lobby.
Chief among the Israeli-led Senators is Florida Senator Marco Rubio. During the Presidential campaign, Rubio was humiliated by Trump who dubbed him “Little Marco.” Soon after, the slighted Senator was forced to drop out of the race due to a lack of support for his campaign.
SEE ALSO: Retired US General Picks Apart Sen. Cotton’s ‘Scarlet Letter’ to Iran
On its face, Trump and the Israel First hawks’ policy to crush the JCPOA Nuclear Agreement makes little sense. Business Insider explains:
John Glaser and Emma Ashford respond to Trump’s latest attack on the nuclear deal: Iran is clearly abiding by the deal’s requirements, as President Trump himself has twice formally acknowledged. But the President appears determined to ignore U.S. allies, his own intelligence community and the International Atomic Energy Agency, which has affirmed eight separate times in detailed reports that Iran is in compliance with the deal.
As is usually the case, the US hawks (also supported by Iran’s economic and geopolitical regional rival Saudi Arabia) are hoping to trigger retaliatory rhetoric from the Iranian hawks – and use those words to justify a call for escalation of tension, and a full range of new sanctions against Iran:
This desire to withdraw from the JCPOA is difficult to explain. Whatever Trump’s reasoning, this much is clear: All of America’s options outside the JCPOA carry unacceptably high risks and threaten to exacerbate the very behavior Iran hawks hope to forestall.
Desperate to fabricate their case against Iran, the US (instructed by the Israeli Lobby) are now trying to brand Iran’s military as an international “terrorist” organisation.
RT International reports…
Iran has vowed a “firm and crushing” reaction should Washington decide to include the elite wing of its army, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), on its list of terrorist organizations, according to the country’s foreign ministry.
The comments came from Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi on Monday as cited by Tasnim news agency.
“We are hopeful that the United States does not make this strategic mistake,” Qasemi stated during a news conference.
“If they do, Iran’s reaction would be firm, decisive and crushing,” he said, adding that the US would have to accept the consequences.
Earlier it was reported that Washington is preparing tougher sanctions on Tehran, including the possible designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist group.
US President Donald Trump has taken a tough stance on the Islamic Republic, criticizing it for supporting terrorism and vowing to “put an end to Iran’s continued aggression and nuclear ambitions.”
On Sunday, IRGC chief Mohammad Ali Jafari warned that if the reports are confirmed, the military wing will treat US troops, especially in the Middle East, as they would Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorists.
“If the news is correct about the stupidity of the American government in considering the Revolutionary Guards a terrorist group, then the Revolutionary Guards will consider the American Army to be like Islamic State all around the world, particularly in the Middle East,” Jafari stated.
Washington’s reported threats have prompted France to speak against actions that “could exacerbate the current crises” in the face of “regional instability.”
“With this in mind, regional states have a specific role to play and must show restraint and a sense of responsibility,” French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Agnes Romatet-Espagne stressed, when asked whether Paris would endorse such a step.
The landmark Iranian nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was signed by the P5+1 group (China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK, and the US) and the European Union in 2015. According to the deal, Iran is to limit its nuclear program for 15 years in exchange for easing the pre-existing sanctions.
READ MORE: ‘World will change’: Trump likely to pull out of Iran nuclear deal next week – German FM
During his election campaign Trump repeatedly vowed to scrap the agreement, and during his presidency he has continued to accuse Iran of violating the “spirit” of the deal. This week the US leader is expected to re-certify the agreement, but there are concerns that he may decide to stick to his campaign promises.
Other parties to the agreement, including Germany and the EU, have voiced concerns over the possible scuppering of the deal.
READ MORE IRAN NEWS AT: 21st Century Wire Iran Files
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