ARMSTRONG WILLIAMS: Iran nuclear deal puts them closer to desired dominance

ANALYSIS/OPINION

The mullahs in Iran call the United States the Great Satan, but we are the ones who just made a deal with the devil. And this devil also just hit the jackpot.

Make no mistake about it, the Islamic republic of Iran is power-hungry, aggressive and dedicated to advancing its destructive and imperialistic agenda. Iran’s increasing role in the Middle East and the global stage is built upon the pillars of terrorism, extremism, human rights violations and an insatiable appetite to develop nuclear weapons.

Iran is labeled annually by the State Department as the world’s top state sponsor of terrorism, supporting groups that have shed the blood of hundreds of Americans as well as other innocent men, women and children in horrific attacks across the globe.

Iran’s determination to force the leading nations of the world to place its radical theocracy on an equal footing also persevered during negotiations with the P5+1 nations. In the end, Iran secured a deal on its nuclear program that is almost too good to be true — for Iran.

Referred to as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the agreement reads like a victorious wish list for the mullahs and was achieved through dangerous capitulations by the U.S. at the negotiating table. According to the JCPOA, Iran, in just months, will be able to enjoy the free flow of $100 billion from accounts that were previously frozen as a consequence of its nuclear pursuits.

The White House repeatedly said that its goal was to dismantle Iran’s nuclear capability. In the end, America was steamrolled by Iranian intransigence. We forfeited our economic leverage by backing down from a sanctions regime that was working, and we revealed time and again that our threat of force was hollow words.

This deal in effect blesses the Iranian march toward a bomb while making the mullahs who bankroll terrorists across the world much, much richer.

If all of this were not painfully true — and if the stakes not so high — this predicament would seem like a farce. It boggles the mind that America now stands on the brink of a disastrous reality of our own making.

And, by the way, the Iranian leaders have not been shy about flaunting their big win over us and continuing to bully and threaten. A recent tweet from Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, should have sent chilling shock waves. The tweet contained a shadow image of President Obama holding a gun to his own head, while the text read: “We welcome no war, nor do we initiate any war, but if any war happens, the one who will emerge loser will be the aggressive and criminal U.S.”

Unfortunately, it was just the latest in an unending stream of vitriol toward the U.S. that has continued unabated before, during and after we sat down at the negotiating table. This message is no joke and should not be trivialized.

Meanwhile, Obama administration officials have said that they hope that infusing billions of dollars into Iran’s economy will be used to improve domestic conditions. Why does this blind trust exist? Does the administration truly believe Iran’s money will not immediately be put to use expanding the Islamic republic’s terrorist and hegemonic ambitions?

As the radical mullahs expand Iran’s geopolitical conquests and extend their terrorist tentacles across the globe, the Obama administration is apparently more concerned with vanity — a foreign policy legacy, even at the expense of a national security calamity.

Tehran’s spending spree will undoubtedly take advantage of the elimination of the arms embargo. And, as a direct consequence, the deal will help facilitate the mullahs’ continued development of intercontinental ballistic missiles. “Intercontinental” is the key word. Death to America is the goal. Missiles capable of reaching our shores are the means.

How could the White House have agreed to completely lift the arms embargo on Iran, especially given Tehran’s open hostility and pursuit of the technology that would yield nuclear warheads that could be mounted on those missiles?

The revival of Iran’s economy, combined with renewed access to weaponry, will strengthen Iranian terrorism, military might and its nuclear pursuit. It is now up to Congress to weigh in on this dangerous and potentially deadly deal with Iran. Will legislators succumb to White House veto threats and cynical pressure to force this deal through, or will they evaluate the agreement on its own merits, reject it and demand that America insist on a better bargain that enhances our security rather than jeopardizes it?

• Armstrong Williams is sole owner/manager of Howard Stirk Holdings and executive editor of American CurrentSee online magazine.