He spoke at the annual conference at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) in Israel.
A few days before this, the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu said to Russian President Vladimir Putin that his country would not hesitate to act in whatever way necessary to stop Iran from becoming further involved in the conflict in Syria. He also said that Israel would act faced with Iran’s plans to manufacture precision missiles in Lebanon.
The US Assistant Secretary of State said on Wednesday that he was concerned about Iran’s provision of missile technology to its proxy groups and militias that are spread across the Middle East. He acknowledged that the Houthis in Yemen already have this technology and that it was used to fire ballistic missiles towards Saudi Arabia.
Satterfield noted that the Iranian regime has profited from the instability created by the Islamic State and emphasised that the United States is taking steps to restrain it.
He said that the Iran threat goes beyond just the nuclear threat, but insisted that the trump administration is “committed to ensuring that Iran does not develop or acquire a nuclear weapon”.
Just a few weeks ago, Trump issued one final warning to the European leaders. He said that if the numerous serious flaws in the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement were not fixed, the United States would simply walk away from the deal.
Satterfield said that the defeat of the Islamic State is a priority for the United States and explained that the US military will remain in Syria to make sure there is no re-emergence. He added that is a worry for the United States that another terrorist or proxy group will fill the void that the Islamic State leaves when it is completely defeated.
Many experts warn that Iran is waiting to do just this. It already has considerable influence the whole way across the region.
Just like regime change in Syria is essential, the same can be said for Iran.
At the end of last year, the people of Iran took to the streets to protest against their economic situation. The people are getting poorer and more and more people are sinking into extreme poverty. The people became fed up of watching the nation’s wealth be plundered on terrorism abroad.
The protests quickly spread across the country and turned into anti-government demonstrations and calls for regime change. President Trump called the Iranian regime out for its corruption and brutality and warned it that the world is paying attention. He backed the people of Iran who he once described as the “first victims” of the Iranian regime.
