Recently we saw two episodes that illustrate why President Trump was absolutely right to withdraw from the disastrous nuclear deal with the fanatical regime based in Tehran.

The Houthi extremists currently ravaging Yemen, with the backing and support of Iran, fired missiles towards the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh. Shortly thereafter, Iranian forces based in Syria fired a salvo of 20 missiles at Israeli targets. This is the true face of the Iranian regime. While apologists like President Obama may continue to prattle on about the idiocy of leaving the heavily flawed nuclear deal, one should simply take notice of these attacks to realize what a threat the Iranians actually are.

In the aftermath of the nuclear deal, Iran was flooded with funds that allowed them to flex their muscles throughout the region. And flexed they did. They sent forces into Syria, where they are helping Bashar Assad rape, murder and massacre his own people. They have bolstered the Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah, helping it further cement its role in that Mediterranean country. Iranian tentacles have reached down to Yemen, where they give weapons and money to the Houthis, who in turn have destroyed the country. And the government in Baghdad has become nothing less than an Iranian puppet. Behold what the deal has allowed to happen.

The Iranian regime has proven time and again that they can not be trusted. The deal Obama and his European allies pushed through was simply a bending of the knee to Iranian demands. The Iranian regime continues to support terrorists around the regime, vows to continue their nuclear research and pushes through with its missile programs. These reasons validate Trump's decision to withdraw from the deal. The rest of the world needs to take stock and realize that Iran is an ever-growing threat that needs to be seriously dealt with. And soon.

HAROLD OHAYON

SAPPORO

The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.