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Arik [soylentnews.org] writes:

Iran Doesn’t Have a Nuclear Weapons Program. Why Do Media Keep Saying It Does? [fair.org]

When it comes to Iran, do basic facts matter? Evidently not, since dozens and dozens of journalists keep casually reporting that Iran has a “nuclear weapons program” when it does not—a problem FAIR has reported on over the years (e.g., 9/9/15 [fair.org]). Let’s take a look at some of the outlets spreading this falsehood in just the past five days:

Business Insider (10/13/17 [businessinsider.com]): “The deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), aims to incentivize Iran to curb its nuclear weapons program by lifting crippling international economic sanctions.”

New Yorker (10/16/17 [newyorker.com]): “One afternoon in late September, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called a meeting of the six countries that came together in 2015 to limit Iran’s nuclear weapons program.”

Washington Post (10/16/17 [washingtonpost.com]): “The administration is also considering changing or scrapping an international agreement regarding Iran’s nuclear weapons program.”

CNN (10/17/17 [cnn.com]): “In reopening the nuclear agreement, [Trump] risks having Iran advance its nuclear weapons program at a time when he confronts a far worse nuclear challenge from North Korea that he can’t resolve.”

The problem with all of these excerpts: Iran does not have a nuclear weapons program.

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