Last month, the American people awoke to a far more dangerous world thanks to President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry. A deal trumpeted as a major step forward in U.S.-Iranian relations, celebrated as a means to reduce the threat of an Iranian nuclear bomb, has already started destabilizing the region while alienating our closest allies in the Middle East.

The agreement, forged between the P5+1 powers and Iran, rolls back economic sanctions in return for token concessions from Tehran. It also places symbolic limits on Tehran’s nuclear program and allows it to retain the uranium already enriched, along with most of the facilities to do so. Indeed, the infrastructure for Iran’s atomic weapons program remains intact.

Previous U.S. policy had required that Iran relinquish its entire nuclear program and all enriched uranium. American policy changed so suddenly that the Israelis and Saudis, our top allies in the region, were shocked.

Let’s be clear. The Iranians have waged a clandestine war against the United States since 1979. The violence directed against American interests and people has killed hundreds, if not thousands, of service personnel, civilians and government employees over the last three decades. Their leadership’s hateful rhetoric toward the United States has never moderated.

Yet, the Iranian nuclear program poses no direct threat to the U.S. homeland, at least for now. But for our top allies in the Middle East, Israel and Saudi Arabia, it’s a different story.

Israel watched with increasing discomfort as American policy in the Middle East devolved into empty promises and dire missteps. This agreement could force Israel to act unilaterally to ensure its own survival. Without a reliable American ally, Israeli leadership may be forced to take military action or face nuclear destruction. President Obama’s credibility and assurances are now empty vessels, and any hope the U.S. had of restraining the Israelis ended when we made a deal with a nation whose leader called Jews “rabid dogs” as recently as last month.

The Saudis are similarly troubled. Obama’s catastrophic policy errors in Egypt and Syria had already shaken the kingdom’s confidence in the United States. The Saudis see the Iran agreement as tacit acceptance of Iran’s nuclear ambitions since it limits, not dismantles, the program. Now the Saudis are considering undertaking their own nuclear weapons program to counter Iran’s — meaning Obama’s six-month agreement may have sparked a nuclear arms race in the Middle East.

The Obama administration, believing its intentions are good and noble, failed to grasp the lessons of history. Appeasing enemies, creating arms limitation accords that legitimize dangerous and destabilizing weapons programs, and ignoring our allies have never led to peace. The 20th century is full of examples proving the opposite.

Obama has abandoned our closest Middle East allies in pursuit of an illusion of peace and security. As a result, we face a destabilizing nuclear arms race between Islamic fundamentalist powers and potential war between Iran and Israel. Congress must take swift bipartisan action to counter the president’s reckless naiveté before it is too late.

Sean Parnell, military adviser to Concerned Veterans for America, is a retired U.S. Army Airborne Ranger who served six years in Afghanistan with the 10th Mountain Division. The author of The New York Times best-seller “Outlaw Platoon: Heroes, Renegades, Infidels, and the Brotherhood of War in Afghanistan,” he lives in Cranberry.

---

Copyright ©2026— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)

---