Dangerous Dealings With Iran
I know a bad deal when I see one. In college, one of my guy friends knew how to work the system. Due to his ridiculous ability to talk his way into a good deal, his room had more technology than Best Buy. Mind you, our dorm rooms were slightly larger than a closet, and while I would literally roll my clothes to fit them into that tiny space, he somehow managed to fit two fluffy reclining chairs and a huge flat screen TV. Impressive.
Before our sophomore year, my friend told me that he needed a fridge and that he would trade me a TV for my fridge. I thought I was getting a sweet deal. When my dad and I arrived on campus to make the trade, instead of a new shiny flat screen, my friend showed up with something straight out of the Stone Age. You know what I am talking about, the kind of TV where the back is 10 times the size of the actual screen. Weighing in at about 200 lbs., it took at least two guys to carry this thing. The TV wouldn't even fit in my room, so I had to send it back home with my parents. My dad was not happy. Needless to say, I know a thing or two about bad deals, and that day I made a terrible deal. My lack of concern for the details not only affected me, but it had repercussions for others.
In some small sense, this story is similar to President Obama's recent nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran in that Iran will make out like a bandit while the international community faces the hard consequences of the negotiation. In my story, I made a deal with a friend, and we can laugh about it now. What is not laughable is the fact that the administration seems to forget that the Iranian regime is the furthest thing from a comrade to the U.S., and Iran got exactly what it wanted out of the deal. In an effort to appease an enemy, the administration has allowed for a deal which is both dangerous and highly illogical. Below is a rundown of just a few of the reasons why Congress must support a resolution of disapproval for this terrible deal.
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Threatens U.S. and International Safety
The Iran Nuclear Deal is a prime example of negotiating with an enemy. They've called America the "Great Satan" for the last 36 years. Just days after the announcement of the deal, the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was heard calling for "Death to America." The Iranian regime follows the ideology that they must wage jihad on all enemies of Islam, especially the U.S. Iran is considered to be the largest state sponsor of terrorism — aiding terrorist groups like Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Sunni and Shiite militants, Al-Qaeda, and more.
In the deal, it states that "Iran reaffirms that under no circumstances will Iran ever seek, develop or acquire any nuclear weapons." Yet, just a few lines down, it reads that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action will lift all U.N. Security Council, multilateral, and national sanctions related to Iran's nuclear program. According to a counselor and fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and former special assistant to President Obama,
"This means that Iran, aside from being able to sell its oil, will regain access to as much as $150 billion in frozen accounts in the coming year. Even if it uses 90 percent to 95 percent of that to meet domestic needs, it is inconceivable that the Revolutionary Guards won't receive a payoff that they can use for aggressive purposes with the Shiite militias throughout the region."
$150 billion is an enormous amount of money to place in the hands of a known aggressor, and there is no way of making certain this money will not help aid radical extremists. Furthermore, it is well known that the Iranian regime has links to Palestinian terrorist groups and poses a huge risk to our greatest ally in the Middle East, Israel. On Quds day, the last Friday of Ramadan, Iranian protesters burned Israeli flags and also chanted "Down with Israel." According to Prime Minister Netanyahu,
"It paves Iran's way to many nuclear bombs and gives it hundreds of billions of dollars for its terrorism and conquest machine, thereby endangering the peace of the entire world."
Lacks proper accountability
Iran will have up to 24 days warning before the International Atomic Energy Administration (IAEA) does an inspection at any nuclear site. On top of that, in order to do an inspection, the IAEA must have permission from a committee — a committee on which Iran sits.
Someone likened it to a situation in which a parent suspected their child was hiding drugs in their bedroom. Instead of doing a random check of all areas of the room, the parent decided to give the child a 24-day notice. On top of that, the parent told the child exactly in which spots they would be looking beforehand. In 24 days, you can hide a great deal of evidence. Although on an obviously larger scale, it is much the same in the case of the Iran Nuclear Program; this freedom allows much time and space for lack of accountability.
Ignores our hostages
Last but certainly not least, there are Americans who, sadly, have been left out of the deal. These hostages are real people with hurting families: Pastor Saeed Abedini, former Marine Amir Hekmati, Washington Post Iran Bureau Chief Jason Rezaian, and ex-FBI Agent Robert Levinson. While President Obama may have forgotten them, we have not. We must hold our president answerable to protecting the lives of precious American citizens by demanding their safe return home.
The Iran Nuclear Deal cannot move forward as it stands. Our administration is appeasing an aggressor and putting both American and international lives at stake. Both the safety of the American people and the international community will be threatened if Congress does not pass a resolution of disapproval. We cannot afford to stand idly by while this harmful deal is implemented. You can play a major role in making sure that a resolution of disapproval is passed through Congress; call your senators and representatives and urge them to support a resolution of disapproval for the deal with Iran.
