This shared commitment between the U.S. and Israel to a tough, permanent fight against terror is not limited to the shadows. It also involves the states that support terror, including Iran. In recent testimony on Capitol Hill, General David Petraeus said without equivocation that Iran is now the greatest obstacle to stability in Iraq through its Special Groups. Iran backs Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently invited camera crews on a tour of his uranium enrichment facility in Natanz, openly flouting the U.N. Security Council.

Iran has violated no fewer than three binding Security Council resolutions, and, according to the IAEA, has likely drawn upon its military to support clandestine aspects of its nuclear program. This conclusion contrasts sharply with the most recent National Intelligence Estimate on Iran, which concluded that at a single point in time, Iran had put an end to its nuclear weapons program.

Some people like to think that Iran is not a serious threat. They wave away the very suggestion of it as a kind of hysteria. Yet when a country completely ignores the U.N. Security Council; funds, arms, and trains terrorists; claims to pursue nuclear technology for civilian use, despite the fact that it sits atop the third largest oil reserves on the planet; and openly says it wants one of its neighbors wiped off the map, it is nothing if not a serious threat. This isn’t saber-rattling. It’s common sense. And those who disagree with it, in my view, don’t have any.

Dealing with the Iranian threat will not be easy. Yet one thing is clear: the old tools of diplomacy are not sufficient in dealing with a nation like this. If Iran wants to be treated like a nation-state, it needs to act like one, by cutting its ties to murderous non-state actors.

Until then, the U.S. and Israel must work together to contain the threat. And our combined efforts to meet it will not only reflect the enduring relationship our two nations have historically enjoyed, but also build a foundation for an even closer relationship, based on mutual safety and security, for the future.

Israel’s wisdom in relying on vigilance and strength as a basis for relations with its neighbors is shown in the grudging respect that many of these nations have been forced to pay it. Over the years, Israel has been invaded repeatedly by its neighbors. In every case, it has turned them back. Over time, many of these former enemies, such as Egypt, Jordan, and Qatar, have become Israel’s diplomatic partners. And as long as Israel continues to remain firm with its enemies, there is reason to hope that others will as well.

While fanatical states like Iran may still exist, past success gives us reason to hope for a day when all Arab states will realize that Israel isn’t going anywhere, that anti-Israeli rhetoric will not solve its domestic problems, and that making peace with the Jewish state is in the best interests of its own people.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008 at 1:09 pm and is filed under Politics, Foreign Policy .