Iran has been continuing its series of blatant measures in
defiance of norms accepted as standard by the international community, all as
the Trump administration continues to weigh on blacklisting the Revolutionary
Guards (IRGC). Iran has gone as far as pledging to
launch “roaring missiles” in response to threats. To this day, several
ballistic missile launches – capable of delivering nuclear payloads – have been
Tehran’s report card.
Reports also show Iran increasing its support of the Houthis in
Yemen by providing “Kamikazi” drones, water and airborne, to
threaten shipping lines in Bab el-Mandeb and most certainly Saudi Navy ships,
as weapons analysts confirmed forces aligned with former
Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh are also using these weapons to target
missile-defense systems used by Saudi-led coalition units.
And after harassing US warships in the Strait of Hormuz, Iran
has gone as far as not only denying the entire ordeal, but also holding
Washington responsible for any future face-offs in a shipping route key for
international oil trade.
Iran’s objective
Fully aware of its weak and outdated
military capabilities, the mullahs are attempting to both keep a straight face
at home and obtain as much leverage as possible in regards to the new White
House completely overhauling its predecessor’s Iran engagement approach.
Trump has shown his muscular perspective through an array of
thorny statements followed by new sanctions, welcomed by the Iranian opposition.
However, if Washington is truly serious about returning peace and security to
the Middle East, targeting the destabilizing epicenter is crucial.
The Trump White House is continuously
pledging more severe US action if the mullahs see their interests in continuing
to breach international norms by taking on prohibited missile launches.
A number of Iranian first official dismissed the tough talk by
President Trump over the deal that initially aimed to curb Iran’s nuclear program as nothing but empty rhetoric usually
resorted to on the campaign trail. However, through appointing Gen. James
Mattis as his defense secretary and with a second round of sanctions against
Iran, many voices are being silenced.
A bad deal
With the nuclear deal being described as “weak and ineffective” by President Trump, his administration
has moved forward to addressing another very important matter in the US-Iran
relationship. As Tehran was witnessing its money and influence going down the
drain, the nuclear deal provided the regime an escape route to evade a military
conflict.
And while the accord was claimed to
focus on weakening the mullahs’ regime and boosting the Iranian people’s
status, the concessions provided by the Obama administration delivered the
exact life support the regime needed both economically and symbolically.
As sanctions were rolled back, Iran’s
practice of resorting to destabilizing measures across the region was provided
a waterfall of financial support to sidestep a military conflict. This also
greenlighted Iran to relaunch its illicit activity, only to be slapped warnings
and sanctions in the past month or so by a new White House.
Despite senior Iranian officials
being very active in voicing dissent, the consequences of America and allies
regaining a very serious position on Iran and closing the nuclear deal faucet
is crystal clear.
This
manuscript is a compilation of an article and excerpts from speeches by the
Iranian Resistance's President-elect Maryam Rajavi, a Muslim woman who has led
a relentless struggle for freedom in Iran.
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