Biden must not support deal with Iran
Make no mistake about it: Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is in Washington for one reason and one reason alone — to convince President Joe Biden to provide military support against Iran. With peace due to the Abraham Accords strengthening regional allies and, only one serious issue remains for Israel: Iran.
We will never hear about what took place behind closed doors or what intelligence Israel shares with the president. But Israel’s leaders have a right and responsibility to express heightened concern. This week, Israel’s Minister of Defence Benny Gantz briefed 60 foreign diplomats based in Israel that Iran is just two months away from a nuclear breakout. “We do not know if the Iranian regime will be willing to sign an agreement and come back to the negotiation table, and the international community must build a viable ‘Plan B’ in order to stop Iran on its way toward a nuclear weapon”.
Israel cannot stand by. Israel’s Chief of Staff, Lt.-gen. Aviv Kohavi issued a stark warning too, saying that operational plans against Iran are now on the table again. The IDF said it’s putting aside NIS 3.5 billion to contend with the Iranian threat and to prepare for a military confrontation.
After all, Iran is the leading state sponsor of terrorism. It is run by a dangerous regime of autocrats who are driven to “wipe Israel off the map.” From the Ayatollah there is a daily dose of venom directed at the Jewish state. In early August, headlines called Iran’s new ultraconservative president Ebrahim Raisi, “the butcher of Tehran.” A Taliban-like regime with nuclear weapons is literally the sum of all fears.
If you think accidentally-on-purpose shooting down the Ukrainian airliner killing 176 civilians was bad, wait until Iran has a nuke. If its technology could not distinguish between a real military threat and a passenger jet, how can the world stand by while this extremist regime develops a weapon that can kill millions in a split second?
What’s more, its media is toasting at how the regime has brought America to its knees over the JCPOA talks. The so-called negotiations are about to restart in Vienna after having gone through multiple rounds without an agreement. Iran is biding its time playing chicken while the west is getting nervous. Where is John Kerry and a planeload of cash when you need it?
The Afghanistan debacle was a boon to the mullahs further proving that America has little appetite for conflict. More importantly, the Biden administration has now shown that not only is America alone — but it will abandon its allies if need be. Even the Saudis are starting to turn away from America with an eye on Russia.
Prime Minister Bennett’s visit to DC is no coincidence. Sure, reinforcing the American-israeli “ironclad” alliance is always paramount. But Israel and Iran are already in an undeclared proxy war. The Iranian drone attack on an Israeli ship this month created a new front on the high seas. Iran is surrounding Israel with bases in Syria and soon Lebanon. Its influence over Hamas and Hezbollah is an extension of its terrorist threat.
Bennett’s appeal to Biden is likely to fall on deaf ears. America left Israel to its own devices many times before, discouraging it from destroying the Osiraq nuclear reactor in Iraq and more recently, levelling a reactor under construction in Syria. Israel’s action was globally condemned then, but is applauded now. Its leaders have had to make tough existential decisions to keep the nation safe and secure.
It is time for America and the west to step up to the plate to defend and protect Israel. Iran should not be offered a deal that would loosen sanctions, given how close it is to developing nuclear weapons.
A war between Israel and Iran could also unleash some 200,000 Hezbollah missiles into Israel from Lebanon and thousands more from Hamas in Gaza. Israel’s military might will be devastating given its technological prowess. An existential war will bring misery to the Middle East. It is in Biden’s interest to heed this warning and act expeditiously to stop Iran.