LOS ANGELES.–Claiming President Donald Trump is at odds with Vice President J.D. Vance over the extent of damage to Iran’s underground Fordo nuclear plans, the fake news stirs preposterous controversy when none exists. Trump said in Sunday news conference that Fordo had been “completely and today obliterated,” as opposed to Vance saying the nuke programs was “severely damaged” or had been “set the Iranian nuclear program back substantially,” Vance said. Trump never said the program could not be rebuilt either in the original sites or somewhere else in Iran. But the fact that the fake news fixates on such trivia attests to the highly politicized nature to the recent attacks. Democrats and their friends in the media say Trump violated the Constitution ordering the strikes on Iran, while Republicans say it was perfectly OK for commander-in-chief to make that decision.
What kind of message does the fake news send to the public about the most significant foreign policy and national security action in modern U.S. history? Every American should be on the same page that Trump did the right thing setting back Iran’s nuke program. What did President Barack Obama do signing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA] in 2015. He handed the Ayatollah $15 billion in cash and ended $25 billion more in sanctions relief. ABC News Jonathan Karl, no matter how biased against Trump, knows that Trump and Vance are saying the exact same thing, with slightly different words. Iran can always build back its program if it chooses to do that, knowing the potential consequences. “Severely damaged versus obliterated, I’m not exactly sure what the difference is,” Vance told Karl. Creating unwanted controversy is clearly counterproductive.
Why would the fake news seek to pit Trump’s VP against him? Does Karl really think there’s a difference in what Trump and Vance are saying? Karl wants to know what happened to the 900 pounds of 60% fissile material, a sort of mystery since reconnaissance photos show a caravan of trucks two days before the June 21 strike. “We are going to be working the coming weeks to ensure that we do something with that fuel and that’s one of the things that we’re going to have conversations with the Iranians about,” Vance said. Karl’s line of questioning tries to put Trump and Vance in the worst possible light, especially saying they’re contradicting themselves on the extent of damage to Iran’s enrichment sites. Whatever happens to the 60% stockpile 60% uranium, Vance said the ability of Iran to continue enriching uranium was set back indefinitely, the purpose of t he mission.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a Sunday morning briefing that there was “severe damage and destruction,” also pitting him against Trump who said “completely and totally obliterated.” Karl should be ashamed of himself to play around with U.S. national security, especially after one of the most daring and carefully choreographed mission in U.S. history. Coordinating the flights of seven B-2 Stealth Bombers to drop their payloads of bunker buster GBU-57, 30,000 bombs was a feat never accomplished before. Karl should be congratulating Vance, praising the White House for pulling off an incredibly complex mission. Karl recalls President Jimmy Carter’s botched Iranian hostage rescue mission in 1979 where everything went wrong. Trump’s mission in Iran was executed with precision, skill and speed never seen before by the U.S. Pentagon.
Iran began retaliating today firing missiles at U.S. airbases in Iraq and Qatar with no casualties or damage reported. Iran fired missiles at the U.S. Al-Assad airbase in Iraq after the predator drone strike on Al-Quds Gen. Qasem Soleimani Jan. 3, 2020. Iran fired more missiles at Al-Assad base again today and the Al-Ubeid air base in Qatar. Qatar’s air defenses “successfully thwarted the attack and intercepted the Iranian missiles.” Qatar Foreign Ministry Spokesman Dr. Majed Al Ansari said, “The State of Qatar strongly condemns the attack that targeted Al-Udeid Air Base by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.. We consider this a flagrant violation of the sovereignty of the State of Qatar, its airspace, international law, and the United Nations Charter,” almost the exact statement Iran gave about the U.S. strikes on Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan nuke sites.
Qatar showed why it’s such a good ally of the United States, condemning the Iranian actions of firing missiles into a sovereign country. Qatar wants the escalation to stop and return to diplomacy to resolve any lingering conflicts. “We call for the immediate cessation of all military actions and for a serious return to the negotiating table and dialogue,” said the Qatar Foreign Ministry. President Trump called for a truce today and return to peace talks with Iran. So far, Iran has not shot more missiles at Al-Assad and Al-Ubeid air bases. If the tensions settle down, Trump can get back to the kind to diplomacy that could avoid future military confrontations. Watching ABC News do everything to pit Trump against his own vice president is despicable when there’s no light between them. Both say in their own words that Iran’s nuke program was severely degraded.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
