Republican plan to tackle Iran should be welcomed

Whoever reads the strategy developed by the Republicans for US national defense will know the reality of Iran’s terrorism, its proxy militias and their impact on the security and stability of the Middle East. They will know the threat Iran poses to the world, will find themselves in agreement with this strategy, and will hope to see it implemented in its entirety.
The Republican Study Committee has drawn up a new bill, which the committee’s president Mike Johnson says contains “the most severe sanctions that have been put forward in Congress against Iran until now.” Its goal is to disrupt Tehran’s support for terrorism and bankrupt the regime. In their proposal, the Republicans call for the abolition of all the exemptions Iran still enjoys within the 2015 nuclear agreement.
According to the proposal, the White House will not be able to lift any sanctions on Iran without the approval of Congress, as the authors consider that such exemptions reduce the impact of the maximum pressure strategy US President Donald Trump has imposed.
The draft bill calls on the US to use its influence in the UN Security Council to push for the reimposition of international sanctions on Iran in the event that the UN’s arms embargo on Iran, which ends in October, is not extended. It also states that, in the event of non-extension, Congress has the right to introduce a new arms embargo on Tehran and to impose sanctions on countries that sell weapons to Tehran, such as China and Russia, in addition to sanctions on banks that facilitate the sale of arms to Iran and the companies that ship these weapons.
The threat of Iran and its terrorist militias is clear in several Arab countries, particularly Iraq, which remains one of the most important arenas of confrontation between Tehran and the US. Iraq is a major source of funding for Iran with its oil and other wealth, and it is also a major source of terrorist militias affiliated to Tehran, most of which were established after the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime. Today they are affiliated with the so-called Popular Mobilization Units, which was established under the pretext of confronting Daesh as if Iraq did not have an army.
These militias are preventing Iraq’s stability and reconstruction and they must be removed if Tehran is to be suppressed and its projects sabotaged. Eliminating these militias will cause Iran to falter. The American Embassy in Iraq and a number of US contractors have been targeted by the militias. The killing of Qassem Soleimani at the beginning of this year was the most appropriate solution to behead Iran’s terrorism, as he was the chief terrorist. Restoring Iraq and defeating Iran will be almost impossible without going in the direction of liquidating the militias.

Restoring Iraq and defeating Iran will be almost impossible without going in the direction of liquidating the militias.

Dr. Hamdan Al-Shehri

As for Lebanon, the draft US law calls for stopping all American aid and preventing any financial assistance from the International Monetary Fund because such money would not really go to help the country, but rather the Hezbollah militia. This is the correct procedure considering that any government in which Hezbollah members or affiliates participate is a government of terrorism and therefore will not represent the Lebanese people. Lebanon’s parties and people must then make a choice: They are either with the international community in rejecting Iranian terrorism or they remain with this terrorist militia. Hezbollah has held Lebanon hostage for decades, but it is now time the country returned to being a pillar of science, economics, coexistence, tourism and trade.
Regarding Syria, the Republican project states that: “Congress must stress the administration’s position in support of a political transition and the withdrawal of all Iranian forces from Syria.” It affirms that there is no solution in Syria with Bashar Assad remaining in power and calls for the full implementation of the Caesar Act to ensure that the countries neighboring Syria do not cooperate with the regime.
Iranian militias helped the regime destroy Syria and kill thousands of civilians. Their stay in Syria means a repetition of the Iraqi scenario, though it may even be worse. The first person responsible for the massacres and destruction is Assad, who called on Iran and its militias for help. If Assad stays in power, it would mean the survival of his relationship with Iran and Hezbollah, while his demise would weaken Iran, which could be considered as a small gift of humanity to compensate the people of Syria, who have suffered and sacrificed a lot.
In Yemen, imposing sanctions on the Iran-backed Houthis and placing them on the list of terrorist organizations is a long-awaited solution. The Iranian regime is the world’s largest supporter of terrorism, so everyone who joins it must be classed as the same and be held to account. Yemen is suffering from a major humanitarian crisis because of the Houthi militia, which steals humanitarian aid and prevents it from reaching those in need. Saving Yemen from this vile group would provide salvation for nearly 30 million Yemenis and stop another Hezbollah from taking over the country.
Tehran, which also threatens international navigation and global trade, even hides behind the Houthis, as it got them to claim responsibility for the terrorist attacks on the Saudi Aramco installations in Khurais and Abqaiq last September.
The Republican strategy shows that there is a will to counter Iran’s arms and militias and put an end to the regime’s evil. Whoever wants to defeat Tehran will begin with its militias — a course will lead it either to the negotiating table or to suicide.

• Dr. Hamdan Al-Shehri is a political analyst and international relations scholar. Twitter: @DrHamsheri