Appeasing this evil Iranian regime is sheer madness
The terror threat posed by Iran is real and dangerous’
Appalling as President Trump was in so many ways, his view of Iran and the deal negotiated under Barack Obama was entirely correct. Not only is Iran the world’s leading sponsor of terror, its word is worthless. A negotiated deal could never be the correct approach to preventing Iran from developing a military nuclear capability because Iran cannot be trusted to stick to any deal — as it has shown since the agreement (known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA) was signed. President Trump was right to pull the US out and he was right to impose sanctions on Iran. It is no surprise that negotiations have resumed this week; President Biden has been clear all along that he supports the deal struck when he was vice-president. There has not as yet, this time, been direct negotiations between the US and Iran but the direction of travel is obvious.
Apart from the inherent flaws in seeking a deal with Iran, however, the broader context is even starker. One of the factors behind Israel’s transformed relations with some of its Middle Eastern neighbours is that they share the same understanding of the existential threat the Iranian regime poses — an understanding that those pushing for a revived JCPOA either dismiss or ignore. Those who have to live daily with the threat posed by Iran realise that appeasement is the worst possible approach, while the JCPOA’s cheerleaders refuse to learn any lesson from history, let alone respect the views of Iran’s regional neighbours. Just how misguided this is can be seen from our revelation this week of the extent of Iran’s spy network in Europe. The terror threat posed by Iran is real and dangerous. Appeasing this evil regime is sheer madness.