Trump’s Iran position deserves praise, not criticism
With all due respect to the other signatories of the Iran nuclear deal, US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from this agreement should be applauded and supported, not criticized. What Trump has done is definitely a step in the right direction, as it puts the safety and interests of regional US allies first — something that was controversially ignored by his misguided predecessor, Barack Obama.
Of course, no sane person would want to see a nuclear Iran; the terrorist regime in Tehran is dangerous and destructive enough without having an atomic bomb to play with. This is why, when faced with the reality of the deal, Saudi Arabia and fellow Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries cautiously supported it at first.
Paris and London may not like Trump’s decision, but how would the French or British feel if their capital cities came under direct threat by the Iranians?
Faisal J. Abbas
However, instead of using the nuclear deal’s multibillion-dollar cash injection to strengthen its economy, enhance its people’s standard of living and prosper, the Iranian regime opted to continue sponsoring terrorism and spreading turmoil from Tehran to Tangiers.
Paris and London may not like Trump’s decision, but how would the French or British feel if their capital cities came under direct threat by the Iranians? Let us remember that the official slogan of the Tehran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen is “Death to America.” It was also Iranian-supplied Houthi missiles that recently targeted Riyadh, the capital of the Kingdom that hosts Islam’s two holiest shrines.
Tehran backs Hezbollah in Lebanon, which was behind the 1983 bombing of a US barracks in Beirut. Iran is the biggest supporter of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who since 2011 has been using everything from barrel bombs to chemical weapons against his own people.
The Iranian regime also backs many destabilizing terrorist groups such as Asaib Ahl Al-Haq in Iraq, which is behind the killing of many Americans, Britons and Iraqis. Last but not least, Morocco recently said it obtained proof that Hezbollah, backed by Iran, provided weapons and training to Polisario separatist fighters in Western Sahara.
As such, instead of criticizing Trump, world powers need to unite and come up with either sanctions or a revised agreement that limits both Iran’s nuclear ambitions and its ability to cause mayhem.
A 2.0 version of the nuclear deal would be more than welcome, particularly since in this case, no deal is far better than a bad one.
• Faisal J. Abbas is the editor in chief of Arab News.
Twitter: @FaisalJAbbas
