MESOP TODAYS OPINION : UNDER COVER OF NUCLEAR DEAL, IRAN FOMENTS REGIONAL INSTABILITY

By Matthew Levitt – Matthew Levitt is the Fromer-Wexler Fellow and director of the Stein Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at The Washington Institute.

The Hill – July 12, 2016 –  When the administration set out to sell the Iran deal, it recognized that regional allies would have to be reassured that the United States would not stand idly by and allow Iran to wreak havoc in the region. In May 2015, President Obama invited Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders for a summit at Camp David, where he pledged that the U.S. would stand by its GCC partners in the face of Iran’s “destabilizing activities in the region.”

But Iran’s aggressive tactics continued unabated, so the president reiterated his commitment eight months later, saying, “We remain steadfast in opposing Iran’s destabilizing behavior, including against Israel and our Gulf partners and its support for violent proxies in places like Syria and Yemen.” But it is now clear, one year since the signing of the Iran deal, that Iran’s threatening and destabilizing behavior in the region has not diminished…

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Full Version :  http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/international/287342-under-cover-of-nuclear-deal-iran-foments-regional