When President Trump unveiled his much anticipated proposal for peace in
the Middle East, he noted in his remarks, "As everyone knows, I have
done a lot for Israel: moving the United States Embassy to Jerusalem;
recognizing the Golan Heights and, frankly,

**perhaps most importantly, getting out of the terrible Iran nuclear
deal** [emphasis added]."

It's no secret that Iran's nuclear ambitions and their proxy-based
imperial ambitions - namely their support of the terrorist-army
Hezbollah - constitute the most significant strategic threat to
Israel. As such, President Trump's comment concerning the disastrous
Iran nuclear deal is accurate.

Recent Events

In mid-June the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) condemned the
Islamic Republic "for failing to cooperate with its probe of
Tehran's nuclear activities."[i] This condemnation was
uncharacteristic of the international body which has been consistently
slow - to the point of deficiency - in calling Iran out for its
blatant and consistent flouting of relevant nuclear agreements. The
IAEA's statement, which many rightfully see as too little too late,
could be a step in the administration's efforts to build the case for
ending the Iran deal and re-applying international sanctions on the
Iranian regime.

Further, in recent weeks we have seen a series of explosions at Iranian
sites, including one hitting a missile factory and another at Iran's
Natanz nuclear facility. According to an IAEA spokesperson, the
destruction at Natanz could likely "slow down the development and
expansion of advanced centrifuges," a key component in the Islamic
Republic's march towards a nuclear weapons capability.[ii]  

Around the same time period, Israel foiled Iranian plans to attack
Israeli diplomatic missions in Europe and elsewhere in the world. This
comes just a month after Jerusalem prevented an Iranian cyber-attack on
Israel's water supply.

And all of this has occurred against the backdrop of President Trump's
maximum pressure campaign against Tehran, which has had a significant
and negative impact on the Iranian economy. As sanctions have increased
against Iran, the regime has maintained its longstanding noncompliance
of the failed Iran deal.

Iran's stonewalling of the IAEA and the incidents which have now
complicated their nuclear and missile activities tell us that much.

This Was Eminently Predictable

The Iran nuclear accord was doomed to fall woefully short of its stated
goals because its enforcement mechanisms were at best weak, it included
sunset provisions (nuclear and non-nuclear) that required no change in
regime behavior, and failed to directly address Iran's imperial
ambitions and support for terrorism.

As CUFI noted in an op-ed
months
before the deal was signed, "Any nuclear deal with Iran that ignores
Tehran's belligerence legitimizes that behavior. By compartmentalizing
the nuclear issue, the White House is overlooking the very reasons the
world is so concerned with the prospect of a nuclear armed Iran."

Where Do We Go From Here?

The Republican Study Committee recently released a report proposing the
strongest, most comprehensive sanctions against Iran ever formally
envisioned. Key sectors of the Iranian economy would be targeted as they
might be the

**Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges** which seeks to enable
European companies to do business with the Islamic Republic while
avoiding US sanctions.

In the context of Iran's proxies, Hezbollah's infiltration of the
US-backed Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) must be addressed without delay.
No longer can American taxpayer dollars be sent to Beirut without
conditions.

In short, we must continue to ratchet up the pressure, and attempt to
snapback international sanctions on the regime. We will continue to
remind policymakers that in just over three short months, the
international arms embargo on Iran will be lifted and the threats the
United States and Israel face will only increase.

Iran's responses, from their diplomatic maneuvers to their efforts to
attack Israeli and other targets, indicate the regime is desperate. Like
a cornered animal, the regime is lashing out and we must do everything
possible to limit the damage they are able to do.

The events subsequent to the nuclear deal remind us that Tehran will
exploit any opening to advance their malicious agenda. Likewise,
Iran's reaction to the ever-increasing economic pressure against the
regime shows that maximum pressure works. Let's keep our foot on the
gas.

Thank you as always for checking out this week's Action Update. Keep
reading for more insight and information into the issues affecting US
and Israeli national security in the Middle East.

______________________________________________________________________

Sincerely,CUFI Action Fund Team

[i]

Norman, L. (2020, June 19). U.N. Condemns Iran Over Nuclear Activity,
Fueling U.S. Calls to End Deal. Retrieved July 07, 2020, from
[link removed]
[ii]

Keinon, H. (2020, July 07). The Political Impact of Explosions in Iran -
Analysis. Retrieved July 07, 2020, from
[link removed]

SUPPORT CUFI ACTION FUND
_________________

Sent to [email protected]

Unsubscribe:
[link removed]

CUFI Action Fund, 300 Independence Ave SE, Washington, DC 20003, United States