I
ran must not get a nuclear weapon. It would completely reshape the power balance in the Middle East and put the United States in danger.
Iranian President Ahmadinejad is an unstable and vicious tyrant. When his people rebelled against what was thought to be a corrupt electoral victory, Ahmadinejad’s regime hunted down the protestors and silently killed them and their families. Today there is no dissent in Iran out of fear of certain death.
Since the Iranian Revolution in 1979, Iran has been a state sponsor of terror. Hezbollah and Hamas, recognized terrorist organizations, have received arms and money from Iran and have carried out attacks against innocent civilians with Iran’s blessing.
In 1983, Hezbollah bombed a Marines barrack in Beirut, Lebanon. Two hundred forty-one Marines died in the attack. Eleven years later, in 1994, Iran directed Hezbollah to bomb a Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Eighty-five people died.
More recently, Iran has set up training camps in America’s backyard: Venezuela and Brazil. They have supported insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan who fight against our troops. In October, Iran recruited a Mexican cartel, Los Zetas, in an assassination attempt on the Saudi Ambassador on American soil. Later that week, Iranian proxies set up deadly bombings in India and Georgia.
Iran has sought to weaken democratic states and has killed innocent civilians. Now, Iran is in the process of acquiring nuclear capabilities. However, the world community has almost universally condemned Iran’s actions. Congress and the European Union have passed crippling sanctions against Iran’s economy and petrochemical industry.
President Obama said that he would not tolerate a nuclear Iran. I have a lot of faith in you, Mr. President. Don’t let us down. The consequences would be too grave.
Jordan Lewis is a sophomore majoring in political science. He is the president of the UM Young Democrats.