Danny Zaken
Israel Hayom, Oct. 22, 2024
“The US Treasury dropped a bombshell – fresh sanctions targeting Iran’s oil sector, but with a twist.”
Let me share a tidbit in Persian – “An eqtesad ahmaqaneh ast.” It’s their way of saying, “It’s the economy, stupid” – that game-changing phrase from Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential victory. Today, as we face off against Tehran, this economic weapon might just be the silver bullet we need – potentially powerful enough to bring down the Iranian regime with its toxic blend of Islamic extremism and state-sponsored terrorism.
Look, let’s be realistic about Lebanon. We’re heading toward another 1701-style arrangement, buttressed by international forces and a light Israeli footprint. And while eliminating Hamas Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar has shortened our path to some sort of arrangement in Gaza, let’s not kid ourselves – any deal will have an expiration date. Why? Because Iran’s fingerprints are all over virtually every terror group in the Middle East. Taking down Tehran’s regime isn’t just Israel’s strategic imperative – it’s crucial for the entire free world. And the path to victory? It runs straight through Iran’s economic jugular.
I’ve spent years watching one particular economic indicator that tells us everything about Israel’s security landscape and where we’re headed. It’s Iran’s oil exports – a number that instantly telegraphs whether regional terror forces are about to bulk up or slim down. When global sanctions hit Iran’s nuclear program, Hezbollah’s allowance took a massive hit in the latter half of the previous decade. Then came the nuclear deal, unfrozen assets, and lighter sanctions – suddenly Tehran was raking in 50 billion USD annually from oil. No surprise that from 2016 onward, we saw Iranian proxies everywhere flexing their muscles: Hezbollah, Iraqi militias, Yemen’s Houthis, and Palestinian Islamist groups all grew fat on Tehran’s petrodollars.
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