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Former US Navy captain: Brace for more Iranian-backed attacks against the US
(An Emirati ship that was hit by a missile off of the Yemeni coast.Social Media)
In an opinion piece on the US Naval Institute's News blog, retired US Navy Capt. Sean R. Liedman argues that as long as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (or the Iran nuclear deal) enriches the Islamic Republic, the US will see Iranian-sponsored proxy attacks with increasing frequency.
Liedman points to an extensive history of Iran sponsoring terrorist activities in the region, including direct attacks on US servicemen.
The previous Iranian training and supplying of Hezbollah fighters with C-802 cruise missiles, the kind experts believe were fired at US Navy ships near Yemen, is evidence that Iran seeks to expand influence in the region in direct opposition to the US.
According to Liedman: "Money is the lifeblood of Iran’s support to its proxy groups, and the lifting of economic sanctions will provide Iran with more money to further achieve its objectives in the region."
The US lists Iran as a state sponsor of terror, and Liedman goes as far as comparing access to funding for Iran to access to funding for al-Qaeda or ISIS, stating that only the naive would think Iran would change it's strategic goals without sufficient international pressure.
So until the US finds other ways to leverage Iran, the US should "brace for impact from other proxy attacks," Liedman says.
Read the entire piece at USNI News here»
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