Since the success of the Islamic revolution in Iran and the rise of the Ayatollah in 1979, Iran has been a constant and significant threat to the West. Known as the world’s top ranked state-sponsor of terror, Iran’s military influence stretches across the Middle East and even in covert terrorist cells in western countries. I believe that their involvement in terror sponsorship makes them a key national security threat to the United States considering that they can order terrorist groups to take violent actions against their enemies while denying their own involvement. The most recent case being Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7th in which the response was devastating, resulting in the killing of 1400 Israelis and 7700 Palestinians. This situation allows Iran to attempt to take the moral high ground on the tense international issue.
Additionally, their sponsorship of Hezbollah acts as an agent of destabilization in Lebanon and the surrounding Levent area. This allows Iran to gain influence in Syria while simultaneously using Lebanon as a pawn to attack Israel alongside Hamas. We have already seen how Iran’s military influence in the Levent has harmed American interests and operations in the region with the attack of military bases in Iraq and Syria in recent days. Finally, their less than subtle attempts at producing nuclear capabilities should frighten everyone living in the free world. If Iran is awarded the option of creating a WMD, it is almost guaranteed that they would use it to further their ambitions no matter the cost. This may be a bold statement, but if a state will willingly sponsor barbaric terrorist organizations as a strategy to commit war crimes without repercussions, then I believe it is safe to assume that they would use a nuclear weapon on any nation that directly threatens their sovereignty.