Most people who are politically knowledgeable think that the Iranian threat is largely a Middle Eastern threat that Israel has grappled with for generations and that it will need to grapple with for many more decades. 

This is all an incorrect way of observing the realities of the Iranian threat in the Middle East. 

First of all, Iran does not merely threaten Israel in the Middle East – it threatens Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar, and Yemen. Israel is their main short-term focus, but there are many countries that are in the vicinity that are all very concerned about the growing power of the oil-rich Iran. 

A nuclear threat from a regional bully threatens an entire region, not just the next-door neighbors. 

However, it is also Europe and the United States who should be concerned about the growing influence of Iran and radical Islam in general. 

Iran is absolutely interested in growing their military arsenal from being a regional headache into a major player on the international stage. All of this has been going on over the last 45 years. Not more than that. But this process is reversible. 

Iran once was and can go back to being a moderate country that is an address for moderation and technological advancement in the Middle East. That is what it was throughout the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. The monarchy of the Shah in Iran may not have been an example of sainthood, but his rule was not one of a heartless dictatorship either. 

The majority of the people in Iran are most certainly opposed to the present radical Clergy that dominates their lives. 

But a major change in Iran will only happen through sustained crippling sanctions that lead Iran to be able to only do business with the few other bad actors in the world. 

Even if China continues to keep the money and weapons flowing to Iran, the United States can clamp down on Iranian banks, exports and influence to other countries in Europe. This does have a greater impact than many realize. 

The first term of Donald Trump performed this task very effectively, but the Biden administration undid much of the progress. Now that the Republicans are in power in Congress and the Oval Office, there is a very real chance to effect real and lasting change. 

But the Western world and Israel must stay the course and be prepared to support the next Iranian revolution when it transpires. This time the revolution against radical Islam may indeed come sooner than many expect. Note how quickly Syria’s dictatorship folded.

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