Tag: Iran

We Are Kowtowing to Iran

The Ceasefire MOU with Iran has been signed by President Trump and should be of concern to every American. I have been a staunch supporter of our president, but I consider this MOU and follow-on “negotiations” to be dangerous for America and the rest of the free world. Let’s look at the 14 points of agreement and why they all should be unacceptable.

An MOU (memorandum of understanding) is a non-binding agreement on a shared goal and actions to reach it. It lays the foundation for a future binding agreement.

Here is a thumbnail summary of the MOU points and the concerns that most Americans including me have with them.

  • Terminate military operations on all fronts including Lebanon.
    • Making the ceasefire permanent is good, but we should not be so arrogant as to assure Israel will not defend itself against the Hezbollah. This gives Iran incentive to continue to support Hezbollah. The situation in Israel and Lebanon should have nothing to do with the US-Iran MOU.
  • The US and Iran must respect each other’s sovereignty and not interfere with each other’s internal affairs.
    • Very little will change in the long run as long as the current regime is in power. Trump promised the Iranian people from the beginning that we would give them a path to democracy and freedom. Iran’s theocracy government will continue to kill their domestic protestors as we turn our backs on them.
  • The US will continue to negotiate toward a final deal for sixty days with provision to extend indefinitely.
    • This is crazy! Iran has proven for decades to lie and string out meetings with no ultimate decision. They are a defeated country playing the victor, and the US is going along.
  • The US will remove the blockade of Hormuz within 30 days of signing the MOU and remove its forces from the region upon signing of the final deal.
    • The US should not allow Iran to transit Hormuz until they have signed a final deal. That is the only thing that will keep the negotiations from stretching on for months if not years.
  • Iran will ensure safe passage of all ships of other countries through Hormuz for 60 days, after which Iran and Oman will collaborate on future administration of the strait.
    • Again, crazy! This means that, after 60 days, Iran and Oman can decide to charge fees or be selective on the transit of ships through the strait. The UN Law of the Sea has long declared Hormuz to be international waters owned by no particular country.
  • The US and regional partners will provide at least $300 billion for Iran’s reconstruction and economic development. Details of the source of these funds will be negotiated in the final deal within 60 days (or more).
    • It is up in the air as to how much of, or if, the funds will be contributed by the US. As is often said, money is fungible, and Iran can use it in any manner to build back its arsenal. Iran should not receive a dollar until it has signed an acceptable final deal, and adequate verification by the US is assured for decades to come.
  • The US will terminate all sanctions against Iran as part of the final deal.
    • Sanctions should be lifted sequentially as Iran adheres to the final deal agreements over the next few years. Iran has no integrity as proven over the last half-century. Why would they change now, unless forced to do so?
  • Iran affirms it will not procure or develop nuclear weapons. The current enriched material disposition will be negotiated as a part of the final deal. Other matters pertaining to Iran’s nuclear needs will also be negotiated.
    • Iran could still end up with nuclear capability for energy and other “peaceful” uses. How can we ever trust this evil government to be transparent about any remaining nuclear material. They should have NO nuclear material.
  • Pending the final deal, the US and Iran will maintain the status quo of its nuclear program, and there will be no new sanctions imposed on Iran.
    • Iran has been successfully deceptive in numerous ways for decades. Why would they not be currently producing more missiles, drones, and other weapons at a surging rate? But we are trusting them. The MOU should have included hundreds of US inspectors roaming their country immediately.
  • The US will allow immediate crude oil exports by Iran.
    • Resumption of oil exports by Iran will gain them up to $150 million per day or about $9 billion during the 60-day negotiation period. Oil export bans, along with denied access to Hormuz, should be the case until the final deal is signed. Immediate, unrestricted exports means no incentive for Iran to finalize the deal.
  • The US will immediately release all frozen assets to Iran.
    • Frozen assets should remain frozen until the final deal is reached. Again, this would be a great incentive for Iran to complete the deal. These frozen assets amount to over $100 billion worldwide. This, plus the $300 billion offered in point six above should be a huge carrot to hold in front of Iran during negotiations, instead of just handing it over to them for signing an MOU.
  • The US and Iran will develop a mechanism to monitor the success and compliance of the MOU and the final deal.
    • The mechanism should be mandated by the US in the MOU, not a mutual agreement.
  • After beginning immediate actions toward the ceasefire, opening Hormuz, release of frozen assets, and mechanisms of compliance; negotiations will begin on the other aspects of the MOU.
    • There should have been no MOU, but just a final deal that included the best interests of the US and the free world with little regard for one of the most evil nations in world history.
  • The final deal will be endorsed by a binding UNSC resolution.
    • A UN Security Council resolution is meaningless; it is just a formality with no enforcement power.

The US was in position to take down the blight of the entire world, virtually eliminate terrorism, foster real peace in the Middle East, and raise the global economic tide, but we are settling for a rather hollow MOU and a wink-wink promise from Iran to behave rationally.

I fully understand that there are many below-the-surface nuances about this conflict and the deal-making of which I have no knowledge. Our leaders in Washington are certainly closer to the issue than I. But, I am not alone in my concern. A Fox News Poll last week shows Americans of all political persuasions doubting the deal’s ability to stop Iran’s nuclear program. The majority of Democrats (73%), Independents (69%), and Republicans (53%) are not confident in the deal.

Iran’s Shia clergy ruling class is about as far from American culture as can be imagined. These mullahs care little about their country’s people, the non-muslim world, or international standards of moral behavior. They live for their own personal power and the survival of Islam. Lying, cheating, deception, and killing are a way of life for them. The only thing they respond to is overwhelming power and destruction. I don’t believe the MOU and subsequent negotiations will ever bring results acceptable to the US. We will either revert to more military action or accept conditions far short of our interests in the region. In my opinion, we are the greatest, most powerful country in history presently kowtowing to an impotent, yet wicked and corrupt, country that needs to be taken down for the sake of the civilized world.

Furthermore, if President Trump doesn’t finish the job in Iran according to his original objectives, the mid-term and general elections will be devastating for Republicans.

5

America’s Potential Catastrophe from the Middle East Crisis

(Updated from a previous post) For over two centuries, America has been the staunchest ally of Israel and supporter of Jews around the world. For over seven decades, we have supported the fledgling, relatively new nation, often in the face of global opposition. It was largely the influence of the Untied States that secured the UN vote to recognize the nation of Israel in 1949 after their declaration of independence the year prior. Soon afterward, most Palestinians, who were scattered throughout the nation, congregated in what became the West Bank of the Jordan River and the Gaza Strip. The Palestinians eventually claimed those territories as their sovereign land within the new boundaries of Israel. However, the war of 1967, initiated by Arab nations, resulted in Israel’s rightful annexation of those areas for self defense while allowing the Palestinians to remain there. A 1993 agreement brokered by Washington after multiple skirmishes between Israel and the Palestinians established a separate “state” for the Palestinians on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian Authority acting as a pseudo-governing body.

The Palestinians, still not satisfied with Israel’s existence, continued terrorist attacks, mostly by the militant groups, Hamas and Hezbollah, against the Israelis. In response, Israel rejected the separate state status and began settlements of Jewish families and businesses within the West Bank in the late 1990s. The Biden administration supports the reestablishment of the “two-state solution.” This is a wrongful position for America to pursue. Without control of the West Bank, Israel is indefensible. So far, the Palestinians, particularly Hamas and Hezbollah, have rejected anything short of total expulsion of the Jews from Israel.

First, the world needs to understand that the right of the Jewish people to the land of Israel goes back about 4,000 years according to a divine mandate that overrides any ethnic or political consideration. Around 1800 BC, God began the process of establishing His chosen people through Abraham, promising him a specifically defined region of land (now Israel) in the Middle East. The original boundaries of this “promised land” described in the Bible covered an area even larger than what is now recognized as Israel. Upon bestowing the land on Abraham and his future descendants forever, God included this statement, “I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you, I will curse.”

Jews do not occupy Palestinian land; Palestinians live in the land that has belonged to the Jews for almost four millennia. The Palestinians are not a nation. The history of many of them traces back to the Philistines of the Old Testament who were constant enemies of the Israelites. Other Palestinians are a hodgepodge of people from various Arab nations who have migrated over time to the land forcefully vacated by the Jews. Palestinians have never been recognized officially as a nation and have never had a legitimate government. There is no doubt that Israel has rightful claim to the territory within its borders and even more according to God’s promise. Therefore, since the Palestinians refuse to coexist peacefully within Israel, but rather repeatedly attack their host nation, Israel has every right to defend itself against their militant arm, Hamas. Israel’s defensive action is especially justified after the October savage attack by Hamas. They are right in pursuing final expulsion of Hamas from their land.

Iran’s horrendous and unprecedented attack on Israel with over 300 weapons cannot be considered reasonable retaliation for Israel’s precision strike on Iran’s three commanders in Syria. The attack by Iran was essentially a declaration of war on Israel by that nation. Yet, we now have an official warning from the White House that America will not condone any military response from Israel on Iran. Closely coordinated pro-Iranian “protests” by leftists across our nation are closing major bridges and highways endangering the lives of thousands of citizens and degrading our economy. The protesters are shouting, “death to Israel and death to America,” with many burning American flags. These illegal activities are not only placing our country in grave jeopardy, but are also inciting more worldwide anti-Semitic attacks. Our nation’s greatest threat from the Middle East crisis is not from Iran but from the misinformed and misdirected actions of our fellow Americans.

America has been blessed in wonderful and innumerable ways. I believe that one of the main reasons for our blessings is that we have always supported (blessed) Israel according to God’s Word. If we follow certain other nations, and even our internal antagonists, in criticizing this crucial ally, we place ourselves in grave danger. This geopolitical movement goes beyond politics, but it is almost completely led by the Socialist Left. And, it is virtually all under the umbrella of the Democratic Party. A recent Gallop poll indicated that American Democrats favored Palestinians over Israelis, 49% to 38%. The same poll showed Republicans favored Israelis over Palestinians, 78% to 11%.

President Biden and his administration are not the Democrats of the Kennedy and Clinton years. The Party has become radically Socialist, anti-Semitic, anti-Christian, and, in large measure, anti-American. America has been in decline for several years morally, spiritually, economically, militarily, and about every other way of measuring a nation’s status. Now, we are seemingly determined to weaken our bond with Israel and become even less influential on the world stage. As you watch the current crisis play out in the news media, stay centered on the truth. Pray that, through God’s mercy and grace, He will protect and sustain us despite ourselves.

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Purpose in the Pandemic

coronavirus

At some point in everyone’s life, something will be the most phenomenal happening that he or she will ever experience. For most of us, perhaps all of us, this is it. The world’s response to the Coronavirus pandemic may be our generation’s great depression. Amid all the noise and confusion, is there sense to be made of it all? Is there purpose in it?

I believe there is purpose to everything. We are often surprised–shocked–by catastrophes. But nothing happens randomly. The same God who created the universe still orchestrates everything. The Bible says, “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:17) He is perfect in all His ways and desires the best for us. With that perfection, He grants us an abundant life of love, happiness, and joy in addition to our basic needs. But sometimes that perfection also brings on corrective consequences when we fall woefully outside of His requirements for our best.

The world in general and America in particular have turned away from God over the last several decades. We have digressed in biblical standards of morality, in attention to the Bible, in worship, in prayer, in church involvement, and in overall obedience to the Lord.  This is cyclical throughout history as nations and societies rise and fall. In these cycles, God gives progressive warnings when His people are distancing themselves from Him. These warnings come with ample opportunities to confess our wrongs and turn back to Him. The warnings are often in disastrous natural and man-made events. I believe 911 was such a warning to America. This pandemic is a warning to the world showing His sovereignty over our lives. For America, it includes a demonstration of how little power our “idols” have: economic wealth (stock market crash), entertainment (sports and theater shutdowns), leisure (travel and dining restrictions), and freedom (separations and quarantines).

With each providential correction, God has pleaded with His people through His Word, His prophets, His preachers, and His Spirit’s influence on individuals and populations. The Bible says, “…if I send pestilence (contagious disease) among my people, and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:13-14)

This crisis is reportedly already bringing a spiritual awakening in the world. Italy is experiencing revival. Iran’s Christians are breaking through the Islam barrier. Look for this to take root in many other nations. What about America?

We have to deal with the reality of this pandemic. We must listen to the CDC and DHS experts and discipline our lives as instructed to protect our health. But far more important than social distancing, washing hands, and buying toilet paper is concentration on the purpose of what we are experiencing and adjusting our lives accordingly. Get into the Word more, pray more, connect with church more, and love others more. Spiritual renewal happens one person at a time. Pray that America’s spiritual response to this pandemic will be one that pleases God.

 

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