Trump Promises Iran 'Knockout,' Ignores Who Put It In the Ring
Fox News breathlessly reports Donald Trump's vow to 'knock the hell out of' Iran if its nuclear program 'is rebuilt again'. This tough talk conveniently skips the minor detail that it was the Trump administration, in 2018, which unilaterally withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – the very deal designed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. (Source: Council on
Foreign Relations, May 8, 2018). One might wonder if 'rebuilt again' means 'rebuilt after we deliberately dismantled the safeguards'. This isn't a new script. Netanyahu, a consistent foe of the JCPOA, has been warning about Iran's nuclear program for decades, including his infamous 'red line' cartoon bomb at the UN in 2012. Both Trump and Fox News, (which has been known to receive significant ad
revenue from defense contractors), conveniently omit their own roles in weakening international efforts towards actual non-proliferation. How many times will we 'unbuild' and then threaten to 'knock the hell out of' a program we deliberately allowed to restart?