Defeating Daesh is worth far more than $400 million

Caleb Maupin is a political analyst and activist based in New York. He studied political science at Baldwin-Wallace College and was inspired and involved in the Occupy Wall Street movement, especially for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”. What follows is from the Caleb Maupin's pen in his recent article in the mentioned online magazine concerning the efforts made by Iran to defeat the terrorist group of Daesh.

When I was in Tehran last November, I had the honor and privilege of visiting a graveyard where Iranians who had lost their lives on the battlefield fighting in an advisory role against the terrorist group of Daesh were being buried. Though saddened by their loss, the families at the ceremonies were jubilant, joyfully praising God and celebrating their relatives as martyrs in a battle to defend their homeland. Despite the fact that I, Caleb Maupin, am a non-Muslim, Christian, and a citizen of the United States, they happily embraced me, and allowed me to observe the mourning of their beloved relatives.

It should be universally understood that the foreign enemy that poses the greatest direct threat to the safety of the US public at this time is the entity known as Deash, sometimes called ISIL, or ISIS. This terrorist group has openly stated that its intention is to kill Americans. Recently in Orlando, an individual who swore allegiance to Daesh opened fire in a club and killed scores of innocent people. In European cities like Belgium, Nice, and Paris, hundreds innocent people have been slaughtered by this bloodthirsty group of Wahhabi fanatics. While Americans can sleep peacefully, knowing that the headquarters of Daesh are on the other side of the planet, Iranians know that it’s nest and international base of operations is not too far from their borders.

Daesh has declared that the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran are “Shia apostates.” It openly seeks to conquer all the region, including Iran, topple the Islamic Republic, and absorb all the millions of people within the Persian homeland into their Wahhabi caliphate, but to no avail considering the brevity and righteousness of the Iranian Shia Muslims.

According to Daesh, almost everyone in Iran is a worthy recipient of the death penalty. Most Iranians are Shia Muslims, which Daesh calls “Shia apostates” and routinely subjects to immediate execution upon capture. Iran is also home to thousands of Christians and Zoroastrians, other groups that freely practice their religion within Iran’s borders, but are routinely executed for their religious beliefs in territories occupied and controlled by Daesh in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere.

It should be no surprise that every day Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps are on the battlefields of Syria, fighting in advisory roles alongside the government against a group of people Secretary of State John Kerry has called “genocidal.” The Islamic Republic of Iran has been the most steadfast ally of Syria, standing with the recognized government alongside Russia, Venezuela, and other countries who have been working to stop the wave of terrorism afflicting Syria since the dawn of the foreign-instigated and backed war five years ago. So, the question must be asked—Why is it scandalous that at the close of the P5+1 nuclear negotiations between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran, this country was paid $400 million in cash, just some of the money that was agreed to at the negotiating table?
It should be pointed out that this money is not being coughed up from the US Treasury. This is money from Iranian bank accounts that were frozen in 1979, when the Iranian people rose up and toppled a brutal dictator. In response to the revolution, which ended diplomatic relations with the United States, the US government froze all of Iran’s assets within US banks.

This money that was paid to Iran is just a portion of Iran’s money, which is finally being returned to them, almost four decades after their popular revolution against an absolutist monarch. Right-wing commentators in the United States now pose the question: For what this money will be used?
The international activities being conducted by the Islamic Republic of Iran across the region simply cannot be described as terrorism, as referred to by certain ignorants. The absolute focus of Iran’s international efforts at this moment is to defend itself from a deadly onslaught of Daesh terrorism. Iran is working to aid the people of both Iraq and Syria as they battle against the Takfiri terrorist group of Daesh, right outside their borders.
“But what about Hezbollah?” the Pro-Israeli the commentators thunder in response. “Iran could use this money to fund terrorism in Lebanon!” This reaction is yet another display of ignorance regarding the situation presently facing the world. The legendary Lebanese anti-terrorist movement, Hezbollah, is not engaged in kidnappings or bombings; the crimes we have witnessed being committed by Daesh. Right now, the focus of Hezbollah is to defeat Daesh. Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrullah has said that even if he must go to Syria himself, Hezbollah will ensure that hateful, intolerant Takfiri violence does not continue to spread. Hezbollah’s mosques in Lebanon have already been targeted by Daesh bombers, who have no qualms about martyring people as they pray.

Each day Hezbollah’s fighters, alongside Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, are risking their lives on the battlefield to defeat Daesh terrorists, ensuring that Syria remains a country where Christians, Sunnis, Alawites, Shia, and Druze are free to practice their faith simultaneously. Hezbollah fighters remain on the battlefield despite Israeli airstrikes targeting them in Syria as they work to stabilize the country and defeat Daesh.

The fact that Iran was paid $400 million of its own long-withheld funds should not be scandalous in the least. Those who welcome the defeat of Daesh should hope that Iran will spend at least part of this money on helping the Syrian government and the popular forces to eradicate Daesh’s home base. The defeat of Daesh, which Iran is each and every day making huge sacrifices to achieve, would mean an end to the kinds of terrorist attacks perpetrated in Brussels, Paris, Nice, and Orlando. It would mean that millions of Syrian refugees could return home. It would mean a new level of stability not only in the Middle East but around the world.

This is something that is very much in the interest of both Americans and Iranians. Four-hundred million dollars is a very small price to pay; however it is their own money frozen for years.  The delivery of such an amount to Daesh’s greatest foes should be celebrated and Iran's efforts should be appreciated, not scandalized, by those who claim to be opponents of international terrorism.

Caleb Maupin is a political analyst and activist based in New York. He studied political science at Baldwin-Wallace College. What you've just read was the story of Iran's sacrifices from Maupin's standpoint. To inform you, the Islamic Republic of Iran has made a lot of sacrifices in support of the oppressed and in the fight against any type of terrorism, currently the Takfiri terrorist group of Daesh. Long live Iran, Long live freedom and freedom-lovers!

EA/MG