18:50

Trump is set to announce whether the US will violate or abide by the Iran nuclear agreement in ten minutes at the White House.

In the days leading up to the announcement, the Observer revealed aides to Donald Trump hired an Israeli private intelligence agency to orchestrate a “dirty ops” campaign against key individuals from the Obama administration who helped negotiate the Iran nuclear deal.

People in the Trump camp contacted private investigators in May last year to “get dirt” on Ben Rhodes, who had been one of Barack Obama’s top national security advisers, and Colin Kahl, deputy assistant to Obama, as part of an elaborate attempt to discredit the deal.

The Observer article did not name the firm or say how much work was undertaken. However, following publication, Kahl said on Twitter there was “considerable evidence” that a person working for Black Cube had approached his wife last May.

The Israeli private intelligence firm Black Cube has denied it was hired by Trump’s aides to dig up damaging information on former officials.

A prominent Iranian-American supporter of the Iran nuclear deal also said he was warned by US intelligence during the presidential transition that his communications would be targeted by the Trump camp in a bid to discredit him.