Source: Brits Lies Intended to Push War with Iran

Feb. 22--A source close to the White House denied the content of a Reuters wire that claimed that the nuclear talks with Tehran were hopelessly stalled, and that President Donald Trump was likely to soon unleash attacks on Iran, which the wire termed were now "inevitable."

These are "just some British shit lies," said the source, who said that Trump was enraged by the reporting. The source said that rather than collapsing, last week's talks in Geneva had created a workable framework for an agreement, and that Iran had been given some "time to fill in further details." On the basis of these results, the President has indicated that he will wait to see what the Iranians come up with before making any decisions about a military strike.

The source also denied reports, attributed to the State Department, that Trump was considering a "limited attack" to spur Iran into reaching a deal that would eliminate the threat of an Iranian nuclear weapon for all time. "The Iranians have already agreed to that in principle," said the source. "Why attack them and risk a wider war, that could kill many innocent people, including women and children?"

The Emerging Framework for a Nuclear Agreement

This and other sources report that the following things comprise the framework for an agreement:

• Iran has agreed to state that it renounces plans to develop a nuclear weapon, for all time.
• On enrichment, Iran agreements to a 3 year suspension of all enrichment, during which time a plan will be developed for Iran to obtain enriched Uranium at well below the weapons threshold, perhaps from a plant in which Iranians will work along with other nations in the region, and supervised by a third party. Iran will also agree to turn over stockpile of enriched Uranium to a third party.
• All of Iran's nuclear facilities will be opened to inspection, most likely to be handled through the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
• In exchange for compliance with this agreement, sanctions against Iran will be lifted, in accordance with a timetable, but which will have some sanctions relief on signing.
• The agreement will stay focused on the nuclear issue. Iran has expressed a willingness to discuss with the United States "other matters of concern," including possible limits on its ballistic missile and drone programs, as well its support for proxies in the region, such as Hezbollah and Hamas. These are matters of great interest to the Israelis, who had demanded they be included in the negotiations on the nuclear deal. Trump has rejected this advice.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed this "framework," in an appearance on "The Morning Joe" show on MSNBC yesterday, telling host Joe Scarborough: “We are doing our job. I hope that those who are seeking war and want to drag the United States into an unnecessary and disastrous war once again, I hope they won’t prevail and let us diplomats work with each other and find the diplomatic solution, which I believe is at our reach and can be achieved in a very short period of time.”

Military Calculations and the Risk of Escalation

With Trump's "Great Armada," which includes now two aircraft carrier battlegroups, deployed to the region, there remains questions about what Trump intends for their use. Sources say that any strike on Iran would be considered a major failure if it did not achieve regime change. Yet there is precedent—namely two wars against Iraq—which points to the fact that regime change might not be achieved by airstrikes alone. The calculations that come from the most rabid war hawks say that the regime in Tehran, after brutally repressing recent protests that were turned by Israeli agents on the ground into insurrections and bloody riots, is just waiting for a "push" to fall. But other sources, with greater ranges of experience in the region, point out that U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran last summer actually strengthened the regime.

These and other sources with decades of experience in dealing with Persia and the region say that Trump, who still believes a military attack for regime change is a viable option, has put himself and his presidency into a trap. What if an attack over a period of weeks, does not produce regime change, but unleashes war and death throughout the region? Iran has advanced missiles, capable of precision guidance, which can strike targets in Israel, as well as U.S. bases throughout the region and even into southern Europe? In wars against Iraq, massive U.S. troop presence was needed to defeat the much weaker that Iran, Iraqi military.

"Here's the bottom line," said a source. "The American people do not see a war with Iran as in their interest. Would Trump be willing to risk American lives for a war that most people believe is being conducted not for our purposes, but for the Israelis—the same Israelis who have committed genocide in Gaza. The media has covered all Trump's belligerent threats, and makes it seem like the war is about his larger-than-life ego. If the attack does not immediately topple the regime, if Americans for example are taken prisoner, or come home in body bags, this would mean the effective end of Trump's presidency. His fall could be swift, but it will happen.

British and NATO Pressure for Escalation

"Now you have a good idea why the Brits and also NATO want to see Trump plunge headlong into this disaster," said a source, who claims that Trump, with his bluster on full display, does not really yet see this danger. "He had better wake up to this soon and come to his senses. Each day, the military option becomes a political suicide. The Iranians will soon be under the advanced Chinese GPS system, which will be used to target their missiles for extreme accuracy. Maybe they could even take out a carrier. The military has told the President that they will follow his orders, but they cannot guarantee the results he wants.

Control his 'cowboy' urges for some battle, the sources all urged. "Listen to [Special Envoy Steve] Witkoff and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner and make a deal that's on the table and there for making on the nuclear weapons issue. Let the armada just sit there. Don't get played for a sucker by the Brits and [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Bibi [Netanyahu]."

Iran’s Next Steps and Economic Signals

The Iranians are expected to come back later this week with more details on the nuclear deal, including on enrichment. Meanwhile, sources have indicated that, should a deal come into place, Iran has told Witkoff that they are willing to open up their economy to American investment.