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Source: https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/02/17/iran-deal-jcpoa-israel-saudi-emirates-houthis/
A New Iran Deal Means Old Chaos
(Foreign Policy) Steven A. Cook - To leaders in Jerusalem, the 2015 nuclear deal gave Iran official license to proliferate. The fact that the agreement left Iranian nuclear facilities at military sites off limits to inspection only heightened these concerns. The Arab states in the Persian Gulf were equally unhappy over sanctions relief. Leaders in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and other countries were convinced Iran's new access to money would be used to fund proxies around the region, further destabilizing the Middle East. After the 2015 deal, Iran's proxies stepped up their operations. Iran's Houthi allies in Yemen have been firing missiles at Saudi and Emirati cities. Saudi and Emirati leaders are skeptical that the money from sanctions relief will be used for anything other than intimidating them in the service of Iran's interests on the Arabian Peninsula. For Israel's leaders, Iran remains an existential threat. They do not believe the new deal is well crafted and believe it will be consummated with people who are not to be trusted. Given Iran's long-term drive to develop nuclear technology, one has to wonder whether getting back into the nuclear deal is worth it. The writer is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.