JERUSALEM (AP) — The latest on Israel’s claim that it has documents proving Iran had a nuclear weapons program in the past (all times local):
5:25 a.m.
Has or had? The White House is quietly walking back a charge that Iran maintains an active nuclear weapons program, saying it really meant that Iran had one before the 2015 nuclear agreement.
A statement sent to reporters Monday by Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said a cache of Iranian documents released by Israel is “consistent with what the United States has long known: Iran has a robust, clandestine nuclear weapons program.”
But intelligence agencies in the U.S. and overseas have stated that the 2015 nuclear deal has frozen Iran’s nuclear program.
The version of Sanders’ statement posted to the White House website has been modified to make clear Iran “had” such a program. The White House is calling it a “clerical error.”
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4:55 a.m.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the Iranian documents obtained by Israel show that Iran lied about its pursuit of nuclear weapons and its deception undercuts the international nuclear deal it signed in 2015.
In a statement Monday night, Pompeo says he “personally reviewed many of the Iranian files” and U.S. experts consider the documents they have reviewed so far to be authentic.
He says that “the documents show that Iran had a secret nuclear weapons program for years” while it was denying it was pursuing such weapons.
Pompeo says the Iranians lied to the six nations who negotiated the Iran nuclear deal. In his words, “What this means is the deal was not constructed on a foundation of good faith or transparency. It was built on Iran’s lies.”
President Donald Trump has been a fierce critic of the 2015 nuclear deal and is weighing pulling the U.S. out of the agreement. He is expected to unveil his decision by May 12.
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2:50 a.m.
The White House says it is examining information released Monday by Israel allegedly detailing Iranian efforts to cover up the extent of its nuclear efforts before signing onto a 2015 accord meant to freeze the program.
Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders says in a statement that the “information provides new and compelling details about Iran’s efforts to develop missile-deliverable nuclear weapons.”
She adds: “These facts are consistent with what the United States has long known: Iran has a robust, clandestine nuclear weapons program that it has tried and failed to hide from the world and from its own people.”
President Donald Trump has been a fierce critic of the 2015 nuclear deal and is weighing pulling the U.S. out of the agreement. He is expected to unveil his decision by May 12.
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12:35 a.m.
The European Union’s foreign affairs chief says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s latest allegations that Tehran once pursued nuclear weapons do not appear to show Iran is currently violating the 2015 international nuclear agreement.
Federica Mogherini said late Monday in a first reaction that “what I have seen from the first reports is that Prime Minister Netanyahu has not put into question Iran’s compliance” of the deal.
She insists it is “first and foremost” the International Atomic Energy Agency that must make the assessment whether Iran is abiding by the deal. She says that’s because “the IAEA is the only impartial, international organization that is in charge of monitoring Iran’s nuclear commitments.”
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9:30 p.m.
Iran’s state-run media is mocking Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s latest allegations that Tehran once pursued nuclear weapons.
In a presentation Monday that made use of large visual aids, Netanyahu said Israeli intelligence had uncovered a trove of documents from Iran’s “nuclear archives.”
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency says Netanyahu is “famous for ridiculous shows.” The semi-official Fars news agency, believed to be close to the Revolutionary Guard, dismissed Netanyahu’s speech as a “propaganda show.”
Iran has denied ever seeking nuclear weapons.
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9:15 p.m.
President Donald Trump has praised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s presentation of documents that Netanyahu says show Iran lied about pursuing nuclear weapons.
Trump said Monday the presentation and other recent events show that Trump has been “100 percent right” about Iran.
He says he watched part of Netanyahu’s presentation and that it was “good.” Trump says Iran’s behavior is “just not an acceptable situation.” He pointed to missile tests, saying Iran is “not sitting back idly.”
Trump has declined to say whether he will withdraw the U.S. from the 2015 nuclear deal. But he says if the U.S. does pull out, he still may negotiate a “real agreement.”
Trump says the U.S. “got nothing” for the sanctions relief granted Iran under the accord.
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8:30 p.m.
Israel’s prime minister says his government has obtained “half a ton” of secret Iranian documents proving the Tehran government once had a nuclear weapons program.
Calling it a “great intelligence achievement,” Netanyahu said Monday that the documents show that Iran lied about its nuclear ambitions before signing a 2015 deal with world powers.
Iran has denied ever seeking nuclear weapons.
In a nationally televised address, Netanyahu said Israel recently uncovered 55,000 documents and 183 CDs of information from Iran’s “nuclear archives.”
Speaking in English, perhaps with an international audience in mind, he says the material is filled with incriminating evidence showing the Iranian program, called “Project Amad,” was to develop a weapon.
President Donald Trump is to decide by May 12 whether to pull out of the international deal with Iran. Netanyahu has led calls for Trump to withdraw.
