Israel accuses Iran of lying about its nuclear program

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday unveiled documents gathered by Israeli intelligence officials that contain details about Iran’s nuclear program. Netanyahu claims the 55,000 pages of documents and 183 CDs filled with secret information prove Iranian leaders concealed the country’s weapons program before signing a nuclear deal with world powers in 2015. In a televised broadcast delivered in English, Netanyahu accused Iran of continuing to pursue the Project Amad nuclear program even after its official end in 2003. In 2015, Iran agreed to curb its nuclear program in exchange for lifted sanctions. Netanyahu’s revelation comes weeks before U.S. President Donald Trump will decide whether to pull out of the agreement or possibly revise it. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a statement released Monday night said U.S. experts reviewed the documents and they appear to be authentic. “What this means is the deal was not constructed on a foundation of good faith or transparency,” Pompeo said. “It was built on Iran’s lies.” Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, the country’s senior nuclear negotiator, called Netanyahu’s presentation “childish and ridiculous” and said the supposed evidence was “fake and fabricated.”