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Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/04/irans-brutality-is-getting-another-pass-from-europe.html
Did the U.S. Withdrawal from the Nuclear Deal Cause Iran's Increased Aggression?
(CNBC) Jake Novak - Britain, France, and Germany argue that Iran's increased aggression is a direct result of the U.S. decision to pull out of the nuclear deal. Yet the idea that Iran's mischief was somehow more manageable before the nuclear deal is more than a stretch. The deadly Syrian civil war that Iran has played a major role in for years by backing the regime of Bashar al-Assad began well before 2015. The Yemeni civil war, where Iran has backed the Houthi rebels, also began before the 2015 nuclear deal. Iran's continued backing of terror groups like Hamas and Hizbullah and their continued attacks on Israeli civilian locations also long predates any nuclear deal with the West. In fact, many experts believe the billions of dollars Iran was able to reclaim as part of the nuclear deal were used by the regime to advance their terrorist and other destabilizing efforts around the region. Then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford told Congress in 2017 that's what at least some of the money given to Iran was being used for. Indeed, this is a belief held by many Iranians themselves. A key rallying cry against Iranian money being used to fund paramilitary activities abroad has been heard frequently in the current Iranian protests.