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There's been a flurry of activity since last week's Action Update.
Much of it centers around Iran. And not to get a head of ourselves or
spoil the ending, but the Islamic Republic remains the Middle East's
most destabilizing regime, a pariah state, and the world's leading
sponsor of terror.

Iran's Proxies

You may have never heard of

**Kata'ib Hezbollah** or

**Kataib Sayyid al-Shuhada** but this past weekend, the US military
struck operations and weapons sites associated with these two terrorists
groups in Iraq and Syria. The use of the term Hezbollah likely gives you
a clue as to who at least one of these groups is, but we'll give you a
rundown anyway.

Both of these terrorist organizations are backed by Iran's Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps, just like their big brother Hezbollah in
Lebanon. They share the same radical Shia ideology of the Tyrants of
Tehran and the same goals: kill Americans, Israelis, moderate Arabs,
Christians, Jews, Sunni Muslims, and, well, the list goes on.

Both entities have been listed as a Specially Designated Global
Terrorist groups by the US government for several years. In fact, you
may recall that back in January of last year, the US launched a strike
killing Kata'ib Hezbollah's leader in Baghdad. In addition, earlier
this year the US attacked a site used by these two terrorist groups in
Iraq after they launched rocket attacks on locations housing US and
allied personnel which resulted in one death, and several injuries
including the wounding of an American soldier.

The bottom line is that when experts speak of Iranian backed
"militias" targeting American troops, interests and allies - as
these two groups have as of late with drone attacks - these are the
types of terrorists to which the experts are referring. This won't be
the last time the US is forced to confront Iranian proxies and each one
of those confrontations is effectively part of the long simmering war
between the West and Iran.

Iran's Intransigence

Speaking of the conflict between the free world and Iran, this week it
was reported that Iran is once again refusing to cooperate with the
International Atomic Energy Agency. We're not surprised. Tehran
hasn't complied with its obligations under the Nuclear
Non-Proliferation Treaty (which Iran ratified in 1970) and was never in
compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

What does surprise us is that the Biden administration is still using
the

**stern talking too** approach to dealing with Iran. Newsflash: They.
Don't. Care.

Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee, encapsulated the issue well when he tweeted,
"Iran's lapse of the agreement with @iaeaorg is just one more
example of why the regime cannot be trusted. The Iranians must agree to
extend this agreement immediately. Continuing U.S. #Iran talks amidst
these issues is beyond unconscionable."

Iran's Problem

Due to the mutual warmth shared by the peoples of both countries, the
US-Israel alliance has never fractured, however, like any relationship,
ties between the US and Israel have had their ups and their downs. In
recent memory, they of course reached a low point when some in
Washington sought to create "daylight" between Washington and
Jerusalem. In stark contrast to this, they reached an historic high with
US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

With the recent Israeli elections, there are now new administrations in
both capitals, and its worth noting that steps are being taken to avoid
some of the missteps seen in the past. Over the past week, Israel's
top general was in Washington for meetings with top American officials
at the Defense Department. Likewise, Israel's newly elected Foreign
Minister, Yair Lapid, recently met with Secretary of State Tony Blinken
in Rome, and Israel's outgoing President Reuven Rivlin met on Monday
with President Joe Biden. Finally, reports are out this week that
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and President Biden are trying to
schedule a meeting in Washington this month.

In all of the meetings that have taken place (and likely the one between
Bennett and Biden should it take place), Iran was likely the preeminent
issue. But, Israel's Foreign Minister summed the situation best when
he said, "Israel has some serious reservations about the Iran nuclear
deal that is being put together in Vienna. We believe the way to discuss
those disagreements is through direct...conversations, not in press
conferences."

Yes, there are fringe elements in both parties that seek to undermine
the US-Israel relationship. And yes, some of those voices are extremely
loud, but ultimately it is our view that, like any relationship, if care
is taken to nurture it and disagreements are resolved amicably, the
US-Israel alliance will remain vibrant and strong.

Sincerely,

CUFI Action Fund Team

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