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Iranian Expansionism and the Nuclear Talks

(Israel Hayom) Dore Gold - In dealing with Moscow over nuclear weapons, Washington faced dilemmas which were not very different from those it faces today in its negotiations with Tehran. After U.S. presidents signed new agreements limiting their nuclear arsenals, in the years that followed, the Soviets and their surrogate forces moved into Angola, Mozambique, the Horn of Africa, and Afghanistan. Today, the U.S. is anxious to conclude a final agreement with Iran over its nuclear program. Yet while these talks have been underway, Iran has been busily backing its regional surrogates in Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria with weapons shipments, training, and even direct military intervention with the deployment of Iranian boots on the ground. The Iranians have also tried to carve out for themselves areas of influence in Jordan, Bahrain, and Yemen. All this Iranian military activism demonstrates that the Iranian leadership is determined to emerge as the hegemonial power dominating the Middle East. Iranian expansionism in the Middle East in 2015 is the best proof that if anyone is counting on a new Iran emerging, and that this change will safeguard any future nuclear agreement, they are making a serious mistake. An Iran which still seeks to become the hegemonial power in the Middle East in order to dominate its neighbors will not abandon its nuclear ambitions. The writer, a former Israeli ambassador to the UN, is president of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs and served as an external advisor to the office of the Prime Minister of Israel.
2015-01-30 00:00:00
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