On April 30, 2018, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu broke news to the defense ministry about Iran’s nuclear missile program. Netanyahu delivered a speech about Iran’s secret pursuit of nuclear missiles after the Iran Nuclear Deal was signed in 2015. This new intelligence contained reports of secret weapons development and intelligence documents about the country’s secret program. The Iran Nuclear Deal’s purpose was to eliminate Iran’s nuclear weapons program in exchange for 100 billion dollars and the lifting of sanctions. If Netanyahu’s intelligence is credible, this means the agreement between Iran and numerous world powers has been broken, and the deal may need to be renegotiated or eliminated.
Iran began its nuclear defense program in the 1950s with help from the US. The program continued under the guidance of the United States until the overthrow of the last Shah of Iran in 1979. The program was suspended until 1981, when the government of Iran decided to revive the program. In the 2000s, the United States expressed concern over Iran’s uranium enrichment program. In 2011, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported the malicious intent of Iran’s uranium program, which led to the United States demanding the shutdown of Iran’s nuclear program. It wasn’t until 2015 that negotiations finally ended and Iran came to terms with the United States, France, Russia, China, Germany, United Kingdom and the remainder of the European Union.
The Iran Nuclear Deal disappeared from the public eye until the 2016 election, when President Trump heavily criticized the deal for its “unfair” policy and effectiveness. Proponents of the deal, including French President Emmanuel Macron, have voiced their opinions on the deal. “The [Iran nuclear deal] was a very important negotiation and is the best way to monitor [Iran’s] current nuclear activity,” said Macron. During a recent diplomatic visit to the United States, Macron urged Trump not to withdraw from the deal. The deal has also been a part of the partisan debate in the US. The deal was pushed greatly by President Obama and the Democratic Party. In Congress, many senators and representatives have advocated to stay in the agreement to avoid serious consequences, despite Netanyahu’s announcement.
In response to Netanyahu, Iran hit back by calling Netanyahu an “infamous liar”. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif spoke about the dishonesty and credibility of Netanyahu, referring to him as “the boy who cried wolf”. This is not the first time the two countries in the Middle East have argued with each other. The numerous crises in the Middle East have created a new proxy war among the powerful Arab nations Iran and Israel. Iran has been accused of sponsoring Hezbollah, a Shia terrorist-militant group in Lebanon, a neighbor of Israel. The Syrian Civil War has also been an area of conflict between the two countries. Israel has assisted rebels fighting against Assad and Iran has been a major supporter of the Syrian dictator. Both sides have taken jabs at each other, but the situation has not greatly escalated as of now.
It is possible that Netanyahu is simply using these intelligence documents to further his and Israel’s agenda in the Middle East. Still, the White House has taken Netanyahu’s intelligence into consideration and now the focus has shifted to North Korea. If Iran cheated and broke the agreement with the US, it is possible that North Korea can do the same. The denuclearization of North Korea is seeming more realistic as Kim Jong-Un, himself, has come to the table. However, this new information could jeopardize negotiations and bring in new concerns for the Trump administration and the US State Department.
