Iran Slams Trump for Threatening to Undo Nuclear Treaty

As reported by Democracy Now! in its morning news headlines:

Meanwhile, President Trump told reporters Wednesday that he’s made a decision about whether he’ll take action to undo the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal—but refused to say what his plans are. NBC is reporting, based on unnamed sources, that Trump is leaning toward decertifying the deal, even though Secretary of State Rex Tillerson acknowledged on Wednesday that Iran is in compliance with the deal. All other parties to the Iran nuclear deal also agree Iran is in compliance. This is the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini.

Federica Mogherini: "It has been a frank, open and in-depth discussion, during which we have agreed on the fact that all sides are implementing, so far, fully the agreement."

On Wednesday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani slammed Trump’s threats to undo the landmark deal.

President Hassan Rouhani: "I really don’t know whether a country or a power or an individual who tries to back out of this agreement, other than bringing embarrassment upon themselves, they will gain nothing from it. If the United States government exits the agreement, undoubtedly it will be condemned by the American people themselves. And before that, by the European Union, by all countries throughout the world, the condemnation will be equal. And even the allies of the United States will no longer have the courage to support America vis-à-vis this issue."

Dozens of Countries Sign Landmark Treaty to Ban Nuclear Weapons at U.N.

As reported by Democracy Now! in its morning news headlines:

At the United Nations headquarters in New York City, dozens of countries have signed on to a landmark treaty to ban nuclear weapons worldwide. The United Nations calls it the world’s first legally binding treaty banning nuclear weapons. It prohibits the development, testing and possession of nuclear weapons, as well as using or threatening to use these weapons. The treaty was approved by 122 U.N. member states in July, despite heavy U.S. opposition to the treaty. Following the treaty’s approval, the U.S., Britain and France published a joint statement saying they "have not taken part in the negotiation of the treaty … and do not intend to sign, ratify or ever become party to it." The treaty will take effect 90 days after 50 U.N. member states have ratified it.

In U.N. Speech, President Trump Threatens North Korea, Iran and Venezuela

As reported by Democracy Now! morning news headlines:

President Trump gave his first address to the U.N. General Assembly Tuesday, boasting about the size of the U.S. military, threatening to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, hinting at an intervention in Venezuela and threatening to "totally destroy" North Korea. The 40-minute speech was reportedly written by Trump’s senior adviser Stephen Miller and did not call out other authoritarian countries that are U.S. allies, including Egypt, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. In his sharpest of many threats, Trump called North Korean leader Kim Jong-un "Rocket Man" and said the U.S. was prepared to destroy an entire nation of 25 million people.

President Donald Trump: "The United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea. Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime."

North Korea’s ambassador walked out of the General Assembly just as Trump took the podium. Iran’s government condemned Trump’s remarks as "shameless and ignorant," while Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said from Caracas that Trump is the "new Hitler" of international politics.

See more Democracy Now! coverage on North Korea, here.

CodePink: I have relatives in North Korea

Update, appeal, and action alert from our colleague Juyeon Rhee with CODEPINK:

TAKE ACTION!

As an immigrant from South Korea who has traveled to both South and North Korea to visit friends and families, the current crisis makes me profoundly sad and anxious. North Korea is not just one man, Kim Jong Un, but 25 million people who are at risk of annihilation, just like 50 million people are at risk in South Korea. About 100,000 of us in the Korean-American community have family members in North Korea. We worry about our family members on both sides of the border.

For us, the ONLY solution is dialogue, starting with a freeze for a freeze: North Korea would freeze its nuclear and missile testing in return for the United States and South Korea freezing their military exercises. Please join me in contacting our nation’s top UN diplomat, Nikki Haley, and urge her to start acting like a diplomat. Stop threatening war with North Korea and starting negotiating.

As US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley has been a disaster. Her statement that Kim Jung Un’s “abusive use of missiles and his nuclear threats show that he is begging for war” is appalling. North Korea has been saying over and over again that it might put its nuclear weapons and missiles on the negotiating table if the United States would end its own threatening posture. This fact has been completely obscured by US officials, as well as the mainstream media. I encourage you to read Tim Shorrock’s excellent historical summary in The Nation, Diplomacy With North Korea Has Worked Before, and Can Work Again.

The U.S and South Korea just completed provocating war games simulating an attack that would “decapitate” the North Korean leadership. So it is logical that the North would respond with more weapons tests. This cycle must be broken. The next round of US-South Korean military exercises are not scheduled until March. This would give the US government six months to ratchet down the tensions.

Nikki Haley is being paid by us, the US taxpayers, to find peaceful solutions to global conflicts. Instead, she said that North Korea’s actions are “quickly closing off the possibility of a diplomatic solution.” The Trump administration has never even tried a diplomatic solution—it has only tried sanctions that hurt the lives of ordinary Koreans, war games, deployment of the THAAD missile system in South Korea and threats of a catastrophic war. These have not and will not work; they only embolden the North Korean leadership.

Can I count on you to act and show compassion for our friends and relatives on the Korean peninsula? Please send an email to Ambassador Haley telling her to stop escalating for war and start negotiating for peace. And share this message on Facebook and Twitter.

Peace,
Juyeon Rhee

"Talks Can Work": As Tensions Rise on Korean Peninsula, Advocates Call for Demilitarization

As reported by Democracy Now!