Iran's Leaders Guided by Apocalypstic Beliefs |  | In Islam, there is an end-of-times scenario in which the Mahdi, a descendant of the prophet Mohammed, returns and leads the forces of the true believers in the final battle with the infidels. What is particularly alarming are the repeated pronouncements of Iran's leaders indicating their belief that the time for this apocalyptic struggle is now. Since the 1950s, the threat of nuclear apocalypse and mutually assured destruction has helped deter the use of nuclear weapons. For Iran's leaders, that threat is an incentive rather than a deterrent.
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A History of U.S. Delusions About Iran's Goals |  | The Biden administration's delusions about Iran have a long history. Multiple American administrations have made the mistake of believing that there was some package of benefits that could be offered to Iran to dissuade it from developing nuclear weapons. For more than 40 years, the Iranian leaders have shown a single-minded determination to acquire these weapons, and there is no carrot that the U.S. can offer them to give this up.
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Sponsoring Terror is Integral to Iran's Regime |  | From its beginning in 1979, the Islamist regime in Iran has viewed terrorism as an essential component of its foreign policy and a tool for waging war against its enemies and spreading Islamic revolution. Iran works with and supports nearly every militant Islamist organization in the world and is the leading sponsor of terrorism worldwide.
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Netanyahu’s Powerful and Desperate Appeal |  | Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been among the most powerful and influential voices of opposition to the original JCPOA and to its new and even worse incarnation. His one-minute video is well worth watching:
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Essential Details of the New Iran Deal |
| Iran is Getting Much More Than it Expected - In an interview with Iran’s official news agency IRNA, Mikhail Ulyanov said, “Iran got much more than it could expect. … Realistically speaking, Iran got more than frankly I expected, others expected.”
- The Obama-era agreement sought to keep Iran a year away from a nuclear weapon for 13 years. The new deal appears to leave Iran with half the breakout time (six months) for half as long (seven years).
- Iran continues enriching more uranium and installing more advanced centrifuges, further shrinking its breakout window.
- The administration will lift sanctions on a host of Iranian banks and companies involved in terrorism. This will give Tehran immediate access to an estimated $86.1 billion to $130.5 billion in foreign assets to be used for funding its many terrorist proxies around the world.
- The new deal will lift sanctions on nearly all of the 112 people and entities sanctioned under Supreme Leader’s Office Executive Order. These are some of the most evil and dangerous terrorist leaders and sponsors in the world today. It would also lift sanctions on Khamenei’s personal slush funds.
- One of the primary beneficiaries of the new deal will be Hezbollah - Iran’s largest and most dangerous terrorist proxy.
- The new deal also includes a record-breaking $7 billion ransom payment for the release of four Americans from an Iranian jail. Other sources indicate that the ransom payment will be $11 billion.
- As part of the deal, the Biden administration is considering removing Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from the foreign terrorist organization list, just after the IGRC launched missiles at U.S. targets in Iraq and continues to threaten the U.S., Israel, and other Western Nations with further missile attacks.
Iranian Plot to Assassinate John Bolton Exposed - A U.S. Justice Department official recently exposed the IRGC’s plot to assassinate former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton.
New Deal is Brokered by Russia and Subject to its Demands - While President Joe Biden has promoted strong sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. has been relying on Russia to help broker the new agreement with Iran.
- Russia is using the deal to garner sanction relief over their involvement in the invasion of Ukraine.
- The Biden Administration has already waived sanctions on Russia’s state-run nuclear energy company Rosatom to allow a $10 billion contract to expand Iran’s nuclear power plant at Bushehr.
Iran’s Ballistic Missile Arsenal Has Grown in Size, Reach and Accuracy - Since the original JCPOA was signed seven years ago, Iran has made substantial progress in its ballistic missile program and can now deliver more missiles with greater accuracy to much farther distances. All U.S. bases and allies in the Middle East and parts of Europe are now within range.
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QUOTABLE
“A coward is much more exposed to quarrels than a man of spirits”
--Thomas Jefferson
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NOTE TO OUR READERS: We have pulled out the salient points of the articles in this newsletter to keep you informed and focused on the most relevant, important and timely news in national security and extremism. While our national security experts stand behind the summary bullets and deem them trustworthy, Clarion Project does not endorse all the views expressed in the articles linked. | | |
