It hasn’t taken long for our once-staunchest ally in the Middle East, Israel, to speak out on the Obama administration’s nuclear deal with Iran. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was interviewed today by NBC News anchor Lester Holt, during which he shared this assessment:
We think this is not only a threat to us. We think this is a threat to you as well. Iran has killed more Americans than anyone other than al Qaeda.
They’re going to get hundreds of billions of dollars to fuel their terror and military machine.
You can watch the interview here:
Note that Israel is not our only ally in the region to weigh in pessimistically. Saudi newspaper Al-Watan published a cartoon Wednesday suggesting Iran will use sanctions relief from the nuclear deal to pump money into terrorism.
The cartoon depicts Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei turning the valve on a pipe labeled “nuclear agreement.” Money, marked with the U.S. dollar sign, funnels into the mouth of a dark-clad figure labeled “terrorism.”
As the dominant Sunni Gulf state, Saudi Arabia sees Shiite Iran as a threat to its leadership in the region. This is particularly in view of Iran’s increased military presence in the region, supporting the Syrian regime, Shiite militias in Iraq and Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Many analysts and leaders here at home have also expressed concern over how Iran will spend the $100 billion in unfrozen assets it is is expected to receive. One State Department official told The Daily Beast:
We are of course aware and concerned that, despite the massive domestic spending needs facing Iran, some of the resulting sanctions relief could be used by Iran to fund destabilizing actions.
This report, by Erica Wenig, was cross-posted by arrangement with the Daily Caller News Foundation.
