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Israel's Prime Minister Has a Point on Iran
(Economist-UK) Mr. Obama may this week embrace Israel's greatest foe, Iran, by agreeing on the outline for a nuclear deal. Mr. Netanyahu deserves to be heard on the risk that a deal will turn Iran from a pariah into a legitimate and overbearing regional power. Mr. Netanyahu is right on at least one point that Mr. Obama is willfully ignoring: Iran's belligerent behavior in the Middle East is an increasing menace. The militias Iran is sponsoring are in some ways the Shia mirror-image of the Sunni jihadists of Islamic State (IS). As the Arab world breaks down, Iran's proxies are not just a response to the sectarian chaos but also a cause of it. This week Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels laid siege to the strategic port of Aden. Iran now has strong influence over Beirut, Damascus, Baghdad and Sana'a. With a more tractable Iran, other problems in the Middle East would become easier for the outside world to manage. But Mr. Netanyahu is right to point out that nobody should count on it. Free of sanctions, Iran may become more assertive still. Mr. Obama needs to make the case that, with Iran, the West will distrust and verify.