Jerusalem Post Report: 'AIPAC and Trump's Comprehensive Strategy Against the Islamic Republic'

AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which operates in the interests of Israel in the United States, has had an 'active partnership' in shaping Donald Trump's comprehensive strategy against the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Israeli newspaper Jerusalem Post reported on Tuesday, October 10, citing 'informed sources', that the new strategy to be announced by Trump against Iran in the coming days is part of AIPAC's ongoing efforts over the past months to redefine the JCPOA and develop countermeasures against Tehran. Meanwhile, according to the Jerusalem Post, AIPAC has not called on Trump to withdraw from the JCPOA but has suggested increasing pressure on Iran, including through the passage of new sanctions against Tehran and the establishment of restrictions. According to this report, AIPAC has also called on its activists and supporters in Congress to draft new laws against Iran in a way that does not face opposition from other powers that were signatories to the JCPOA. The Jerusalem Post noted that AIPAC has been careful in its steps to maintain support from both the Republican and Democratic parties to preserve its bipartisan image in American politics. According to Marshall Wittmann, AIPAC's spokesperson in an interview with the Jerusalem Post, the primary goal of this organization has been to prevent Iran from achieving military nuclear capability and to contain Iran in its 'aggressive approach in the region'. The Jerusalem Post reminded that if Donald Trump does not confirm Iran's compliance with the JCPOA in his upcoming speech, no technical change will occur for now, and he will pass the ball to Congress, which has sixty days to decide on the renewal of sanctions against Iran and to pass new laws in this regard. AIPAC, which is assessed to have significant influence over certain levels of Congress, will lobby during the sixty-day period in which the U.S. Congress is expected to review the resumption of sanctions against Iran to advance its goals. According to the Jerusalem Post, AIPAC will emphasize in its active consultations with Congress during the mentioned sixty days that Iran has become 'a bolder actor in the Middle East' since the JCPOA. Meanwhile, Israeli General Amos Yadlin, who was previously the head of the military intelligence organization of this country, called on Donald Trump to turn the U.S. exit from the JCPOA into a threat over the Islamic Republic of Iran and not to implement it for now so that Tehran feels more cornered. In this article, published on Tuesday, October 10, in the Jerusalem Post, General Yadlin did not consider the current timing and conditions suitable for the U.S. exit from the JCPOA and wrote that the threat of actual withdrawal from the JCPOA should occur at a time that has a more strategic aspect. According to Yadlin, U.S. efforts should also include the passage of new resolutions in the United Nations Security Council aimed at addressing Iran's missile development program and 'terrorist activities' in the region. Yadlin, who has been the head of an Israeli security studies think tank in recent years, added in his article that the threat of exiting the JCPOA, along with increased pressures against Iran, could lead Tehran to accept limitations on its missile activities and 'its aggressive behaviors'. Meanwhile, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz on Sunday, October 8, expressed confidence that the announcement of Trump's new strategy against Iran at a time when the International Atomic Energy Agency continuously reports Iran's compliance with its commitments under the JCPOA will lead to international community support for Tehran. The Jerusalem Post also wrote in a key article on Monday, October 9, that Trump must first have better interactions with members of his government and also with members of the House of Representatives and Senate to garner support from Congress and the global community for the new strategy regarding Iran, as the establishment of further sanctions against Iran requires congressional approval and cooperation from U.S. officials. The Jerusalem Post's reference includes the recent heated verbal confrontation between senior Republican Senator Robert Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Donald Trump, which may affect Congress's actions regarding further sanctions against Iran. While it is assessed that Donald Trump will announce the new U.S. strategy regarding Iran in the coming days, Yukiya Amano, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, reiterated Iran's commitment to the JCPOA on Monday, October 9. European leaders whose countries are JCPOA partners have said in recent days that preserving the JCPOA is important. Israeli and British media also reported that Theresa May, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, emphasized on Monday, October 9, during a phone call requested by her Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, that Britain supports the preservation of the JCPOA as a 'vital agreement', although she agreed with Netanyahu that Iran's actions in 'interference in the Gulf and the region' should be monitored 'with open eyes'. According to the Jerusalem Post, Ms. May warned Netanyahu about intensifying pressure to abolish the JCPOA.