As we pray for the peace of Israel, we must bear in mind that Iran remains possibly the greatest threat to that peace. While Iran’s goal remains to destroy Israel, its tactics toward that end extend far beyond the Middle East.
For example, French authorities in June foiled a plot to bomb an annual Paris rally attended by tens of thousands of people who are opposed to Iran’s current anti-Israel regime. Among those in attendance were Jewish people living in France. The gathering’s sponsor was the France-based National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), Iran’s largest single dissident group.
The NCRI calls itself Iran's Parliament in Exile, and it aims to establish a secular democratic republic once the mullahs are toppled. It operates in numerous countries, including Israel and the U.S.
Prominent individuals from the U.S., Canada, Europe and the Middle East attended the June NCRI rally. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Newt Gingrich were among those who addressed the crowd.
A Chorus of Condemnation
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Iran’s failed terror plot at the NCRI rally justifies the Trump administration’s broad re-imposition of sanctions.
The Times of Israel reported that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately “urged European countries to call off planned talks with Iran over preserving the nuclear deal. One of Israel’s largest complaints with the nuclear deal was that it failed to address Iranian sponsorship for terror around the world,” Netanyahu said.
“This Iranian terror plot was planned on the soil of Europe on the same week that the European leaders were supposed to meet the president of Iran about circumventing the sanctions on Iran,” Netanyahu added. “Stop funding the very regime that is sponsoring terrorism against you and against so many others. President Trump decided to leave this bad deal, and he did the greatest thing for the security of the world and for the security of Israel,” Netanyahu concluded.
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Sanctions Continue
Meanwhile, Iran is spending its very tight funds on terror rather than helping its own people, who feel the tightening noose around their economy due to their leaders’ anti-US and anti-Israel actions.
The Trump administration’s initial salvo of sanctions occurred in August. The U.S. restricted Iran’s ability to acquire U.S. dollars and blocked Iran’s trade of precious metals, aluminum, steel, coal and automotive products. European and American companies pulled out of Iran.
Iran has not yet felt the strongest repercussions from the sanctions. The harshest U.S. sanction is set to take effect November 4 to target Iran's energy sector.
The Impact of Sanctions on Iran and Israel
The Washington Times reported of the NCRI event, “The rally was held amid a string of large street protests in Iran over the country’s faltering economy.” These included a plunge in the value of Iranian currency and persistent workers strikes.
“Many in Paris insisted that the Iranian regime is at its weakest point in decades,” the conservative newspaper reported.
The foiled terror plot was one of many methods Iran planned to use to attack the West and Israel. These terror activities include:
- Helping Hamas build sophisticated terror tunnels that extend into Israel from Gaza
- Providing its Lebanese ally Hezbollah with an advanced weapons arsenal frighteningly close to Israel’s border
- Building up nuclear capabilities that Israel revealed could include small “dirty bombs” for terrorists to take into any community worldwide – believed to possibly be one of the purposes of those terror tunnels into Israel.
President Trump has indicated he is ready to meet with Iran’s leaders at any time to forge a new agreement with Tehran, which would undoubtedly address Iran’s support of terrorism and its many efforts to destroy Israel. Iran has refused a meeting and is trying to side-step the U.S. sanctions through continued support for the nuclear agreement by its other signers: France, Britain, Germany, China and Russia.
Please join with us in praying for:
- An end to Iran’s ability to terrorize the world and build toward its goal to destroy Israel
- The UN to abandon its anti-Israel political agenda
- European leaders to see the need and join President Trump in re-negotiating the flawed Iran nuclear deal.
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