Iran launches a rocket into space/Reuters
The incident of the killing of the three American soldiers and the wounding of twenty-five at a military base in Jordan at the hands of Shia militias operated by Iran in Syria should be the moment of fateful change in the Middle East.
This attack against Americans is an attempt by the Islamic Republic to test whether the West in general, and the United States in particular, are capable of responding.
For many years, Iran waged a "proxy war" against the United States and its allies in the region, almost without interruption.
This must stop.
It is no longer possible to impersonate.
This is a direct Iranian attack on the United States, and this is how it should be treated - otherwise the Iranians will continue to attack, with more courage and more power and much more blood will be spilled.
Iranian leader Ibrahim Raisi next to the "Gaza" UAV at a weapons exhibition/Reuters
The latest attack is not a sign of the strength of the Islamic Republic, but a sign of the weakness of the United States and the West against Iranian terrorism.
In recent months, the Houthis, who receive support from Iran, have been using drones and missiles to attack ships in the shipping lanes in the Red Sea, claiming that they are attacking ships linked to Israel in response to the fighting in Gaza.
This is a lie.
Israel's just war in Gaza is an excuse for Iran to demonstrate power and control a significant share of the international shipping routes.
There is no doubt that the decision to launch ballistic missiles at civilian vessels was made by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Tehran.
This can be easily concluded, because according to the opinion of weapons experts, all the missiles are produced by the military industries of the Revolutionary Guards.
Iran's goal is clear: a threat to international shipping affects commerce and the economy throughout the world, the supply of energy, food, infrastructure, humanitarian aid, political stability, environmental protection, international relations.
International shipping is essential for the functioning of the global economy, cooperation between countries, the standard of living of countries and the prevention of conflicts.
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Houthi forces in Yemen/Reuters
Therefore, Iran's attacks on shipping should be viewed in a broader context.
The Revolutionary Guards' efforts are part of their broader strategy to weaken the entire West.
This joins their activities for many years to control the global drug trade, human trafficking and immigration.
All this in order to weaken the democratic countries and their way of life and to influence the economies and the demographic structure of the West.
The ultimate goal is the radicalization of Muslim populations living in Western countries.
Although the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps do not openly declare war, they actually work to dismantle the infrastructure of democratic societies by exploiting their weaknesses.
The Houthi attack on the shipping is part of this war.
It causes price increases and inflation, and increases dissatisfaction and instability in Western countries.
This is especially critical in the Middle East, which is moving towards a split between the pragmatic and moderate countries, mainly Sunni, who seek a better future for their children and strive for peace with Israel, and the Iranian terrorist regime which sends arms to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
This axis of evil strives for regional supremacy for greater imperialist ambitions.
Hamas, Hezbollah, the Islamic Jihad, the Islamic State and Hashd al-Shaabi - are just arms of the octopus.
Any attempt to cut an arm will result in a rapid recovery of the body.
Therefore, if you want to neutralize the arms, you must attack the head.
The attacks on shipping should be seen in a broader context.
The Galaxy ship that was attacked by the Houthis/Reuters
To convey this message, about a year ago my friends and I launched a campaign in the United Kingdom with the aim of including the Revolutionary Guards in the list of terrorist organizations in the United Kingdom.
With this message I arrived in Israel a month ago, at the invitation of the Israel Middle East Forum, and spoke in the Knesset, as part of the Israeli victory lobby.
Iran's goal is to destroy Western culture at any cost.
But Tehran's rule is weaker than ever.
The Iranian people are hungry for freedom.
As long as the Iranian regime continues its war without reaction from the West, it will continue to survive.
It is important to remember that the regime aspires to develop nuclear weapons, which could harm countries beyond the Middle East.
Iran today is arrogant and self-confident, because it sees the West as weak and unresponsive.
This only strengthens its global ambitions.
It's time to stop playing into Iran's hands, stop fighting only in the arms of the octopus.
It is time to deal with Iran directly.
The writer is a leader in the Iranian opposition, operating in London.
The original article was first published in the LA Times
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Iran
Israel
Revolutionary Guards
Gaza war
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