May 8, 2018, is not just the date when President Donald Trump pulled out of the Iran deal. It will ultimately go down in history as a day that the United States made the entire world safer. Though not everyone is on board yet, one day soon the world will be thanking us.
Trump deserves credit for having the moral courage to speak the truth and act accordingly: This was a badly negotiated deal that put the world in mortal peril. During his presidential campaign, Trump promised to withdraw from the agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. And this week he did the right thing by fulfilling that pledge.
Trump’s actions demonstrate that his words were not empty campaign rhetoric. Elected on the promise of putting America first, Trump has shown time and time again that he means what he says. He proves this once more at the unveiling of the new American Embassy in Jerusalem, the historic homeland of the Jewish people and the united capital of the State of Israel.
Unlike so many other politicians, Trump actually follows through. He is making big and bold decisions that advance the national security interests of the United States. By withdrawing from the rotten Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Trump is showing the nations of the world that America is strong and won’t be taken advantage of in one-sided deals that subjugate our own interests.
No longer will the United States of America kowtow to the ploys of rogue regimes or rush headlong into spineless decisions that endanger America and our allies. Rushing to sign a bum deal with Iran was an awful mistake. If the negotiations with Tehran had produced no deal, then that would have been much better than a bad deal.
Instead, our European allies fell into line alongside the Obama administration, running straight into the outstretched arms of Iran. They may not see the error of their ways yet. But at the same time, Iran’s neighbors, who are most threatened by Iran’s violent and hegemonic pursuits, are thanking Trump for his decision.
In a series of tweets, Saudi Arabia’s Khalid bin Salman affirmed his support for Trump’s move.
“Since deal was inked, instead of behaving like a responsible member of the int’l community, the regime doubled down on its support for terror, providing dangerous weapons (such as ballistic missiles) to terrorist proxies including the Houthis In Yemen to target civilians in KSA,” one tweet read.
Since deal was inked, instead of behaving like a responsible member of the int’l community, the regime doubled down on its support for terror, providing dangerous weapons (such as ballistic missiles) to terrorist proxies including the Houthis In Yemen to target civilians in KSA.
— Khalid bin Salman ???? ?? ????? (@kbsalsaud) May 8, 2018
Let’s not forget that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action handed over to Iran around $100 billion in sanctions relief in return for a pledge to merely postpone the resumption of its nuclear arms program. That might have made us safer for a handful of years, but the sunset clause ensured that the key concern was sticking around.
When candidate Trump said the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was rotten, the majority of the American people were already in agreement with him. The Iran deal was sold to the American people under false pretenses by the Obama administration and especially Secretary of State John Kerry. The Republican caucus in Congress was united in opposition to this terrible pact with the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, which so clearly undercut American security interests.
But despite polling repeatedly showing a major lack of public support, former President Barack Obama leaned heavily on congressional Democrats, warning them not to oppose the will of the White House. Ultimately, Obama and his allies used legislative maneuvers to rush the deal through and effectively undercut the will of the people. Some Democrats were brave enough to stand up and vote their consciences, prioritizing the security of America over partisan politics, and for that, they deserve praise.
Thankfully, America’s priorities are back where they belong, and rational foreign policy decisions are coming back into vogue.
We are once again actively taking economic steps against a regime that has affirmed its desire to destroy us and our allies. Don’t just take my word for it; observe the state-organized marches at which chants of “Death to America” ring out.
Within hours of the president’s historic announcement, the State Department announced that we would be reinstating economic sanctions against Iran. This is an essential move, as it deprives the Islamic Republic of the funds it needs to continue in its nefarious and destructive activities.
Iran is an evil nation, bent on opposing the United States and attacking us and our friends through its proxies. By dismantling the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and reinstating sanctions, the president is standing up for America. With clear eyes, we can now move forward down a more reasonable path and one that the American people are behind, enhancing safety not just for our nation, but also the world.
