As reported by Heshmat Alavi on December 14, 2016 for The American Thinker, for nearly four decades the international community, and especially the West, has adopted a devastating appeasement policy toward Tehran. 

This has left room in the Middle East for the likes of Daesh (ISIS/ISIL). Obama’s approach of cooperation has proven to be a failure.  Hopefully, the victory of Donald Trump as President of the United States begins a turning point and an entirely different approach to the Middle East. 

President-elect Trump will likely plan on destroying Daesh, it may be his number one international mission. But to do this, Trump will need to resolve US conflict with the Sunni Arab World, that came out of the negotiations for the Iran nuclear deal. It’s a crucial move, to prevent Iran’s expanding influence across the region, as emphasized recently by 11 Arab states to the United Nations. 

Alavi writes, “The mullahs went on to take full advantage by strengthening their foothold in Lebanon, plunging Yemen into a civil war, launching a Sunni killing spree in the name of battling Daesh in Iraq, and engulfing all of Syria — especially Aleppo — into full-blown carnage.”  He continues, “If Trumps seeks success in this battle he must distance America from Iran, Russia, and Assad. The key to defeating Daesh in this flashpoint corner of the world is to establish close relations with Sunnis in the entire region.” 

Then there won’t be any need for U.S.troops, as the Sunni Arabs can provide their own ground troops and America can deliver air support and intelligence feeds. 

“Standing shoulder to shoulder with the Sunni Arabs to tackle the crises plaguing the Middle East will be an arrow to one of Iran’s Achilles Heels,” Alavi writes. 

Although Obama missed an opportunity during the 2009 uprisings in Iran, during his tenure he provided a golden era” for Iran’s regime, with his appeasement policies.  As a result, “Iran used Obama’s first term to advance its controversial nuclear ambitions as far as possible, slowly fill the void after Obama’s premature troop withdrawal from Iraq, and further its domestic crackdown against the Iranian people,” writes Alavi. 

Trump now has the opportunity to right this horrendous wrong. America needs only to stand with the Iranian people and the organized resistance, and allow them to take it from there. 

There is a democratic alternative with decades of experience, already in place:

The National Council of Resistance of Iran, an umbrella group of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and others, with its president-elect Maryam Rajavi, present a 10-point plan for the future of Iran, which enjoys unprecedented support from both sides of the aisle in Washington. 

“Backing the Iranian people and their opposition movement terrifies the mullahs’ regime, and acts as the second, and more dangerous arrow,” writes Alavi, and concludes, “By allying with the Sunni Arabs and standing alongside the Iranian people, Trump will place Iran’s Achilles Heel(s) in the crosshairs. The mullahs in Tehran are already bracing for the worst impact of all.”