Iran Focus

London, 9 Oct – During a dinner for military commanders and their spouses last week, United States President Donald Trump made reference to the “calm before the storm”. There has been much speculation about what the president meant by this comment, but there are rumours that he was sending a strong message to Iran and North Korea about their current behaviour. It may be his way of warning the two countries that unless they change their behaviour, there will be some serious consequences.

Both countries have been testing to see how far they can push Trump and to see what action he will take. Iran is working on its own weapons and North Korea is testing long-range missiles and nuclear weapons.

Iran Focus

London, 6 Oct – On October 5, Republican Senator Tom Cotton told the Washington Post that military action against the Iranian Regime was “a credible option” and the renegotiation of the nuclear deal should be a discussion between the United States, European partners, Israel, and Arab allies.

This came just ten days before Donald Trump must decide whether or not to recertify Iran’s compliance with the nuclear agreement — which places restrictions on the Iranian Regime’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

Iran Focus

London, 5 Oct – There are many reports that Donald Trump looks set to decertify the Iran nuclear deal at the October 15 deadline, despite certain advisers trying to stop him.

A White House source, who has been briefed on deliberations in the Pentagon and State Department said that Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who is reportedly still trying to convince Trump, and others who disagree with decertification “are now adjusting to the reality it is going to happen”.

The source also said that they are negotiating the wording Trump will use for decertification, which will likely be accompanied by the new US policy on Iran.

Iran Focus

London, 5 Oct – US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that Donald Trump would be presented with several options for the future of the Iran nuclear deal ahead of the October 15 certification deadline.

When Tillerson made this announcement, on Wednesday October 4, he did not reveal any details about the options that would be presented to Trump and declined to answer whether he shared the view that Defense Secretary James Mattis shared with Congress on Tuesday that Iran was “fundamentally” in compliance with the nuclear deal and Trump should stick to the deal.

Iran Focus

London, 5 Oct – Donald Trump is set to announce his decision on the future of the Iran nuclear deal along with the new US policy on Iran, on Thursday, October 12.

In this speech, he is expected to state that the 2015 nuclear agreement, which provides sanctions relief to Iran in exchange for restrictions on their nuclear programme, is not in the best interests of US national security.

By October 15, Trump will have to tell Congress whether the Iranian Regime is in compliance with the deal and if it aligns with US interests. Considering that Trump has already referred to the deal as one of the “worst and most one-sided transactions” ever, it is unlikely that he would choose to certify Iran’s compliance for a third time this year.

Iran Focus

London, 5 Oct – One of the lead negotiators for the Iranian Regime on the 2015 nuclear deal has reportedly been sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of spying, according to a Regime-affiliated news agency.

While Wednesday’s report did not name the person convicted, the only negotiator known to be facing charges was Abdolrasoul Dorri Esfahani, who holds dual Iranian-Canadian nationality.

If Esfahani is the person, he would be the latest in a long line of dual-nationals to be arrested and detained on dubious national security charges since the deal was signed, in what the United Nations described as an “emerging pattern”.