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Welcome to the CUFI Action Fund Update: Iran edition. Regular readers of
the Update know Iran is a pariah state. You know they are the world's
leading sponsor of terror, that they are pursuing a nuclear weapons
capability and have an abysmal human rights record. But sometimes these
broad descriptions don't paint the most detailed picture. So, let's
discuss the latest and greatest from  Tehran's Tyrants.

A Bunch of Weapons

In case you missed it, the US Navy has been seizing a lot of Iranian
weapons in the Arabian Sea as of late. The weapons, according to a
forthcoming report, all originated from a single Iranian Navy port in
the Islamic Republic. And despite the fact that the UN report won't go
so far as to acknowledge where the weapons are headed, we'll go ahead
and let you in on one of the international community's worst kept
secrets: the arms are headed to support one of Iran's proxies, the
Houthis, in Yemen.

According to Iran's UN mission, "Iran has not sold, exported, or
transferred any arms, ammunition, or related equipment to Yemen in
contravention of Security Council resolutions." In polite diplomatic
discourse this is what we refer to as a steaming pile of hogwash. But
it's par for the course - if your regime is led by a mass murderer and
terrorism is your primary foreign policy tool, lying to the world hardly
even rates amongst your sins.

What's perhaps more interesting than Iran's... hogwash, is the
increased sophistication of Iran's weapons. According to General
Kenneth F. McKenzie (USMC), who oversees US military operations in the
Middle East and South Asia, "Iran's strategic capacity is now
enormous... They've got overmatch in the theatre-the ability to
overwhelm."

McKenzie also noted recently that Iran has, "the ability to strike very
precisely into Israel in a way they've not enjoyed in the past."

In sum, while we focus a great deal on Iran's pursuit of nuclear
weapons, their conventional forces are a strategic threat, and their use
of proxies like Hezbollah and the Houthis indicate the length of their
tentacles.

A Group of Patriots

This said, all the weapons in the world mean a bit less without planning
and strategic direction. Evil as he was (and he was

**truly** evil), the late Qasem Soleimani was an effective terrorist
mastermind. His demise made the world a better place.

The Iranian regime disagrees with the much of the above and this past
week decided to sanction more than 50 Americans for their alleged hand
in Soleimani's death. Among those listed are Joint Chiefs of Staff
Chairman General Mark Milley, former White House national security
adviser Robert O'Brien, and former American Ambassador to the UN Nikki
Haley.

Haley referred to being on the list as "a badge of honor," going on to
say, "When you get sanctioned by Iran, the world's leading state
sponsor of terror, you know you're doing something right." Haley is
absolutely right.

A Proper Response

Unfortunately, some are referring to the list of sanctioned Americans
as, effectively, a hit list. Given Iran's penchant for murder, this
may very well be a sobering and appropriate characterization. We were
therefore heartened by President Biden's National Security Advisor's
reaction to Iran's latest outrage which noted in part, "We are united
in the defense of our people. We will work with our allies and partners
to deter and respond to any attacks carried out by Iran. Should Iran
attack any of our nationals, including any of the 51 people named
yesterday, it will face severe consequences."

Speaking of appropriate responses, the Israelis, always mindful of
Iran's words and deeds, announced Monday that the Israel Defense Force
is undergoing its most significant rearmament in years, and a
significant portion of that effort is focused on contending with Iran.
Putting an exclamation point on his announcement, Israel's Prime
Minister Naftali Bennett said, "In terms of the Vienna talks, the
nuclear talks - we are indeed concerned... [but!] Israel is not part
of the agreements, Israel is not bound by what is written in the
agreements if they are signed, and Israel will continue to ensure its
full freedom of operation in any place and at any time, with no
limitations."

The news from Iran is indeed troubling. But there are numerous fronts on
which we must engage. Next week, we're going to have some
announcements surrounding our efforts on multiple issues, so please,
stay tuned, and thank you as always for your steadfast commitment to
being among the most informed pro-Israel activists in the country.

Sincerely,
CUFI Action Fund Team

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