Maniacs in Tehran

Jack Rosen (“Trump is a true friend of Israel,” Observations, November 17) discusses future US plans, but the highest priority should be blunting the steady growth of Iranian power. Saudi Arabia is sounding the alarm, which explains the uncharacteristic activism from a normally reserved regime.

Riyadh’s mores might be somewhat antediluvian, but when it comes to understanding the region, it is leading-edge and we need to pay attention. The sacking of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri for being too soft on Hezbollah; the anger at Qatar for being too cozy with Iran; and the Saudi intervention in Yemen are symptoms that the doyens of Sunni Central are feeling hemmed in by the Shi’ite axis and are starting to panic.

Much of the blame rests with Washington: the misguided Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JPOA), the nuclear deal enriching Iran; the vacuum filled by Iran after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein; the knee-jerk arming of Iranian-influenced Iraq, whose weapons were used against the Kurds; and the mindless arming of Iran-dominated Lebanon are symptoms of the malaise.

We need to stop wasting energy on the Israel-Palestinian peace process – it is but a hangnail in a cancerous region. Trump’s refusal to certify the JPOA was a step in the right direction, but we should follow up with an Israeli-SaudiAmerican strike on Iran’s military and nuclear infrastructure.

The maniacs in Tehran must be stopped. DAVID KATCOFF Charleston, South Carolina