In an attempt to boost political support for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Secretary of State John Kerry sent letters to Congress acknowledging that the administration harbors “no illusion that [Iran’s] behavior will change following implementation of the JCPOA,” and pledged that the United States will boost its aid to Israel and other Middle East allies in the wake of the agreement, the Free Beacon reported today.
Kerry admits that, despite the deal, Iran will continue to back terrorist groups across the globe and promises to boost military support and funding to Israel and Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia, according to a copy of the letter obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.
The letter comes in response to concerns among lawmakers, Israel, and other Gulf region allies that the nuclear accord will boost the Islamic Republic’s support for terrorism, while leaving traditional U.S. allies on the defense.
“Important questions have been raised concerning the need to increase security assistance to our allies and partners in the region and to enhance our efforts to counter Iran’s destabilizing activities in the region,” Kerry writes. “We share the concern expressed by many in Congress regarding Iran’s continued support for terrorist and proxy groups throughout the region, its propping up of the Assad regime in Syria, its efforts to undermine the stability of its regional neighbors, and the threat it poses to Israel.”
The letter, a copy of which is available here (.pdf), also noted that the administration offered Israel nearly $2 billion to help replenish its inventory of guided munitions, and that it was working to secure a renewed “Memorandum of Understanding” that would ensure a “decade our unprecedented levels of military assistance” to the Jewish state.
Kerry also offered to help Israel to improve its tunnel detection technology to fight both Hamas’ and Hezbollah’s ability to build and maintain attack tunnels. Both terror groups are expected to greatly benefit from the relaxing of sanctions on Iran.
The letter further mentioned the administration’s plan to build up the defensive capabilities of America’s Gulf allies, including Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates, with the intent of “deterring Iranian aggression against any GCC member state.” Earlier this week, a senior Kuwaiti parliamentarian called Iran the “true enemy” of the Gulf States and said Tehran was “seeking to spread chaos” across the region. His comments came shortly after a bombing in Bahrain killed a police officer and injured seven people. According to Bahraini officials, the explosives used in the attack were very similar to those seized by authorities in July, which reportedly originated in Iran.
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