Shia-Sunni animosity is reaching a boiling point over Yemen. Iran and its proxies have gained control over Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Gaza and now Yemen. Saudi Arabia considers Iran’s controlling Yemen as crossing a red line and has started bombing missions and has massed troops at the Yemeni border.

On one side of this conflict are our allies, including Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States, Jordan, Egypt, Morocco, Turkey and Pakistan.

On the other side is Iran, whose ruler, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, calls America “The Great Satan” and repeatedly states “Death to America.” Iran is allied with Syrian and Iraqi Shiite militias, as well as their proxies Hezbollah and the Houthis in Yemen.

The U.S. is providing airborne support for the Shia militia and Iranians fighting the Islamic State group in Tikrit. We are also trying to complete an agreement that would free up tens of billions of dollars for Iran but would only delay but not prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon.

We should not sign a nuclear treaty with Iran. Instead, we should confront the country now with economic pressure and try to avoid military intervention. Three years ago, economic sanctions forced Iran to the negotiating table when its economy crashed.

If we place added sanctions today, when a barrel of oil is $51, Iran’s economy would be devastated and the country would not be able to support its military and nuclear ambitions.

At the end of World War II, it was said that if the free world had confronted evil in a timely fashion, over 50 million lives could have been saved.

Stuart Gilbert

Falmouth

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