Why Are We Trusting Iran?

This week, NBC reporter, Ann Curry, interviewed Iran’s Foreign Minister, Javid Zarif. In the interview, Zarif claims that Iran is very close to a nuke deal. He also states that the Netanyahu regime should be annihilated. He goes on to add that Iran does not want to kill Jews. “After all,” he reminds us. “There are Jews in Iran.” But upon further questioning, Zarif clarifies that he just wants to annihilate the State of Israel (which, by the way, is the world’s largest concentration of Jews).

Here is a section of Ann Curry’s exchange with Javid Zarif:

ANN CURRY: So how does Iran want to annihilate the regime of Israel, since you’re making the difference?

JAVAD ZARIF: We don’t want to annihilate. We don’t want to–

ANN CURRY: Well, the Supreme Leader–

JAVAD ZARIF: –annihilate anybody.

ANN CURRY: –tweeted that–

JAVAD ZARIF: We have– the– well, what he says–

ANN CURRY: –it should be annihilated.

JAVAD ZARIF: It– it should be annihilated. That this regime is a threat, is a threat…

In typical Obama-esque spin technique, Iran is spinning their verbiage to reflect that Benjamin Netanyahu is the biggest threat to peace – not Iran.

Why are we negotiating with these people? We should be posing stiff sanctions and insisting on a complete eradication of their nuclear program, as they clearly cannot be trusted.

Sources:

1.       Pollak, J. (3/5/15). Iran Renews Vow to ‘Annihilate’ Israel, NBC Buries Lede. Breitbart, Retrieved March 5, 2015, from http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2015/03/05/iran-renews-vow-to-annihilate-israel-nbc-buries-lede/

2.       Schuppe, J. (3/5/15). Iran Foreign Minister: We Believe We Are ‘Very Close’ to Nuke Deal. NBC News. Retrieved March 5, 2015 from http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/iran-foreign-minister-we-believe-we-are-very-close-nuke-n317356

3.       (3/5/15). Full Interview With Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javid Zarif. NBC News. Retrieved March 5, 2015, from http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/full-interview-iranian-foreign-minister-mohammad-javad-zarif-n317516

A Practical Alternative

According to the Times of Israel:

“Netanyahu said he presented “a practical alternative” to the deal six world powers under American leadership  — the so-called P5+1 — are currently discussing with the Islamic Republic by imposing tougher restrictions on its nuclear program. He said he called for the extension “by years” of Iran’s breakout time, or the time it would need to amass enough enriched uranium for a nuclear bomb to several years, in case Iran were to violate the agreement.  Rebutting Obama, PM says he offered 'practical alternatives' to Iran deal .”

Quoting Netanyahu:

“I also called on the P5+1 to insist on a deal that would link the lifting of those restrictions to Iran’s ceasing its sponsorship of terrorism around the world, its aggression against its neighbors and its calls for Israel’s destruction.”

The White House is claiming that Prime Minister’s Speech to Congress yesterday offered no viable alternatives to the deal currently on the table.

But I would beg to disagree.

Source:

Ahren, R. (3/4/15). Rebutting Obama, PM says he offered practical alternatives’ to Iran deal. The Times of Israel. Retrieved on March 4, 2015, from http://www.timesofisrael.com/rebutting-obama-pm-says-he-offered-practical-alternatives-to-iran-deal/

Netanyahu’s Warning

It is a sad state of affairs when our biggest ally must come to the our country to defend itself from our actions that could potentially bring about its complete destruction. This is precisely what Bibi Netanyahu did this morning.

In his address to the joint session of Congress this morning he warned of two major concessions that the U.S. is proposing in its nuclear deal with Iran:

1.       It would not destroy any of Iran’s nuclear facilities, thus leaving in place a vast nuclear infrastructure. Some centrifuges would be allowed to continue running, while others were simply disconnected; and

2.      All of the restrictions would automatically expire in around 10 years.

If Iran is allowed to prevail in its ability to enrich uranium, we will be looking at another arms race and the potential destruction of Israel.

Is This Surrender?

Yesterday the news media reported that Iranian-backed Yemeni militia seized American weapons and U.S. vehicles as Americans were told by the State Department to pack up and leave. The American Embassy has shut down operations and is involved in full-scale evacuation of Americans in Yemen. U.S. Marines were ordered to hand over their weapons to Houthi gunmen at the airport.

Now that our service members and diplomats are being bullied and humiliated into leaving, American relations in the country of Yemen have taken on the look of American surrender. Is this what is in store for our efforts in the Middle East? Wasn't Yemen supposed to be Obama's bastion of success?

Today a corrected statement was issued by the Marine Corps that none of our weapons left behind in Yemen have been handed over to the Houthi or taken by them. Believe what you want -- but why are we trusting an unstable new government in Yemen to honor its word?

Shadow of Crisis

In President Obama’s State of the Union Speech, he said, “The shadow of crisis has passed” largely due to his “leading from behind” diplomacy. If that is so, then why is Syria in the middle of a coup? Wasn’t Yemen one of Obama’s great “successes?” Is this the caliber of judgment we want determining whether or not to sanction Iran? President Obama's policies are responsible for creating the power vacuum in Iraq and now in Afghanistan that has spawned the rapid growth of ISIS in those regions.

I think that  the shadow of crisis is still quite prominent.

Missed the Mark

The president missed the mark last night in his State of the Union address. He failed to talk about balancing the budget and securing entitlements for the next generation. He promised to veto Keystone, to veto changes to Obamacare and his most recent immigration executive orders, and he will veto any changes to his recent financial regulations. So much for working across the aisle.

We are teetering on the brink of a nuclear Iran, and Obama pressed in his speech to hold off on sanctions. Seemingly the leader of the free world is more than willing to trust the flower child negotiations of John Kerry, rather than back up the recommendations of Israel – a country far more experienced in dealing with Iran’s nuclear ambitions and clandestine nuclear growth.

During the State of the Union address, I felt like we were being seduced in an alternate reality of a utopian universe where archenemies are willing to put aside hundreds of years of ill will, where economics were as simple as taking from the rich and sprinkling the plunders over the poor, and where climate change was a bellwether of the death of the universe.

My “favorite” part of the speech was when Obama promised to close Gitmo, and apparently this is one promise that he plans to make good on – notwithstanding the 9/11 terrorist attacks, terror in Australia, Canada, Bali, France, Iraq and Afghanistan by the Taliban, Boko Haram, Al-Qaeda, ISIS, Hamas, Hezbollah, ISIS, etcetera.  

Fortunately Obama cannot run again.