Iran Defies US and UN On Nuclear Weapons

Teheran's actions towards the United States over the past few weeks have been visibly belligerent, defiant and antagonizing. A provocative missile attack, frenzied stockpiling of missiles and violations of the U.N nuclear and security terms by Iran have recently combined to strain relations severely between the U.S and Iran.

Irans  actions signifying that 'the gloves are off' would be strange, coming from a government whose nuclear program is one that the U.S has bent over backward to accommodate - while ignoring loud and consistent  warnings from allies and observers regarding Irans true intentions. 

Indications are that the chickens have finally come home to roost for the Obama administration, which is reeling with embarrassment from the inevitable 'we told you so for free' fallout. The Iranian government has now pulled off the sheeps mask and exposed the hidden wolf, apparently having decided that it has fooled the U.S enough and has little to lose by coming out in its true colors.

Breitbart.com's Jordan Schachtel reported that on January 5th, 2016 the Islamic Republic of Iran revealed what appeared to be an underground missile base, with state television footage showcasing a stockpile of precision-guided missiles. The Emad missiles appear to violate a 2010 UN Security Council resolution that banned Iran from developing nuclear-capable ballistic weapons, according to Reuters.

The Emad is a ballistic missile with an alleged range of over 1,000 miles.  It is also claimed to have an advanced guidance system and is suspected by UN sanctions monitors of having the capacity to deliver a nuclear weapon. 

Irans unveiling of the 'seemingly impregnable' underground facility comes less than a week after the White House bailed out on an effort to impose sanctions on the Ayatollahs regime.

 

This is at least the third incident that shows Iran has violated international sanctions and resolutions. The regime has already conducted two ballistic missile tests in recent months, following the signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), otherwise known as the Iran nuclear deal.

Sanctions were reportedly going to be implemented following Irans blatant violation of international resolutions, but the Obama administration backed down, reportedly at the request of Tehran.

Its interesting to note how this magnanimous act from the White House was reciprocated. On behalf of Tehran, Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehqans reaction stated:  "Iran's missile capabilities have never been the subject of negotiations with the Americans and will never be. Irans defense power is a guarantee for security and stability in the region."

The Ayatollah regime would therefore seem to be ready to capitalize fully on what it perceives to be U.S weakness and shortsightedness through this and its other recent actions of defiance  rewarding U.S goodwill with mockery and an open betrayal of trust.

Instead, as Rick Gladstone (nytimes.com) also reported, Irans president has ordered his Defense Ministry to respond by swiftly building more of the missiles. The White House reacted by circulating a draft of proposed sanctions on Wednesday but reportedly did not provide a timetable or even say that they would be put into effect.

Iran, on the other hand, has not shied away from bold and aggressive action. On December 30th, writers for nbcnews.com and other news outlets reported the firing of unguided rockets by Iran just 1,500 yards away from ships including an American aircraft carrier, the USS Harry S. Truman.

The U.S carrier was crossing international waters in the Strait of Hormuz when Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRCGN) conducted a live-fire exercise nearby.

Senior U.S. military commanders on Wednesday accused Iran's military of "highly provocative actions that came with only 23 seconds of warning. The actions were also described as unsafe, unprofessional, and inconsistent with international maritime law."

Nobody from Iran's foreign or defense ministries gave official comment, but the country's state-run news agency, Fars, said in its report of the event that no vessel was in danger. The incident was a planned training exercise and all vessels in the area had been warned, it said.

A flippant remark; adding insult to injury. On the other hand, Israel, current U.S ally and sworn enemy of Iran has seemingly made a more accurate assessment of Iran and adopted a more realistic approach. towards it. 

Israel has long emphasized the dangers of the Iranian nuclear threat and Iran's support of terror cells and has been actively working to counter both. This was further reiterated as Yossi Cohen was sworn in as the new head of the Mossad intelligence agency early January.

Cohen warned that the nuclear agreement signed between Iran and six world powers in July had "significantly increased" the threat to Israel posed by the Islamic Republic, but added that he was confident the spy agency would be able to formulate an "appropriate response." He also pointed to internecine conflict in the Muslim world and the strengthening of regional terror organizations as a threat to the entire world, and to Israel in particular.

Christians United For Israel would agree. In a recent statement regarding these latest developments, CUFI says that an emboldened Iran is not ignoring Israel. The pro-Israel U.S based group recounted that on January 4, the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah planted a roadside bomb on the border between Lebanon and Israel, striking a convoy and injuring IDF troops.

CUFI concludes: "We were right about the Iran deal. And we are now seeing the harvest of aggression and terror we predicted. But we cant just sit back and tell our leaders and neighbors that we told them so. We need to show them the error of this deal. It is not too late to turn past support for this deal into future opposition. A consistent message to our elected representatives, friends and neighbors  and electing wiser leaders in November  will help us roll back this disastrous deal".