US has known about Iran nuclear files for ‘a while,’ Pompeo tells reporters

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo acknowledges that the United States had known about Israel’s cache of stolen documents about Iran’s nuclear program “for a while.”

Pompeo tells reporters on the airplane traveling from Jordan to Andrews Air Force Base in Washington that he had been aware of the existence of the documents, and that he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had discussed them when they met in Tel Aviv on Sunday.

“I know there are people talking about these documents not being authentic,” he adds. “I can confirm for you that these documents are real; they’re authentic.”

Pompeo says the files “spell out the scope and scale of the program that they undertook there, and I think makes – I think makes very clear that, at the very least, the Iranians have continued to lie to their own people. So while you say everyone knew, the Iranians have consistently taken the position that they’ve never had a program like this. This will – this will belie any notion that there wasn’t a program like this.”

He adds that the administration would “leave that to lawyers,” when asked if there was there anything in there that suggests there’s an actual violation of the 2016 agreement.”

— JTA