by Steve Kramer, JEWISH TIMES –

Five years ago, I wrote the following article, “Green Light for Israel,” criticizing the West for its acquiescence towards the surging power of Iran [with contemporary comments added]:

“Iran is arguably the world’s greatest supporter of terror, especially against Israel. The Hizbollah terror organization in Lebanon and the Hamas terror organization [and Islamic Jihad] in Gaza, aim their scores of thousands of rockets directly at Israel. Iran is the main financier and materiel supplier for these military forces, which have already fired thousands of rockets into Israel. Iran’s elite Republican Guard is active in other Arab countries like Iraq, where Iran has contributed to the deaths of American and other Western troops, in Sudan, and and also in Africa’s largest country, Nigeria. Lately, Iran has gained influence in the African countries of Somalia and Eritrea, each located by crucial trading routes — the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, respectively.

“Republican Guard agents are also found in South America, where terror attacks in Argentina carried out by Hezbollah in 1994 and 1996, on instructions from Iran, killed more than one hundred Jews and injured hundreds more. [Iran has opened a dozen embassies in Latin America while the United States has reduced its footprint in the region. Russia and China are also engaged in filling the vacuum America has created around the world.]

“The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said that the Tehran regime has grossly underreported the extent of Iran’s uranium enrichment activities, along with a slew of other violations, including refusing access to IAEA inspectors to the heavy water reactor at Arak, which is ideally suited to producing plutonium for use in nuclear weapons. At the UN, America and Britain recently accused Iran of supplying arms to Syria in violation of a UN Security Council resolution banning arms transfer as part of the measures against Iranian nuclear activities. Violations, yes; punishments, no.

“Despite Iran’s obvious trail of anti-Western activity, the Europeans have been happy to spend years negotiating with them, untroubled by the fact that Iran plows ahead with its nuclear ambitions. Obviously, Iran’s deep-rooted hostility towards Israel and America has given the Europeans a false sense of security regarding Iran’s military prowess towards them. This is not because Iran hides its growing arsenal of ballistic missiles, but in spite of it. Iran’s latest effort, putting a satellite into orbit, was accomplished by a missile capable of hitting all of the European capitals.

“The reason for Europe’s dilly-dallying with Iran is to prolong their mutually beneficial business relationships, though their mutual transactions are many times more significant to Iran than to any of its European partners. Russia and China also have a hand in prolonging the worse-than-useless negotiations, for reasons of realpolitik as well as trade. And we can’t ignore Iran’s clout as a huge oil and gas supplier, which seems to stupefy even some of the world’s strongest countries.

“The result has been that only weak sanctions [later greatly increased] have been brought …read more
Source: Israpundit

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