The Islamic Republic of Iran has promised retaliation for Israel's assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and other key figures, yet no attack has come. Representative Mike Waltz (R-FL) suggested the hesitancy comes from the Jewish State's deterrence and leadership under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a weekend appearance on Fox News's Cavuto Live, yet noted that "as long as Iran is flush with cash, there will be no peace in the Middle East."
Rep. Waltz noted the successful assassination of Haniyeh in the middle of Tehran in a heavily guarded building, Israel having successfully smuggled in a bomb some weeks before and detonated remotely.
"I think it is Bibi [Netanyahu's nickname] that is deterring Iran right now because just a few weeks ago, they had a house in the middle of Tehran under the protective umbrella of the [Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps] during a presidential inauguration go boom and take out Hamas's political leader, Haniyeh. And that sent a very strong message to the ayatollahs, that 'If we can get him despite all of that security, we can get any one of you if you take this too far," Rep. Waltz said.
The Florida Congressman compared it to Israel supposedly shooting a missile near the Natanz nuclear facility in 2021, reiterating that Netanyahu's actions are the ones preventing Iran from attacking.
"But what is so frustrating to me and so many of us, and I know with President Trump and the Trump Administration, if you take a step back, just four years ago, ISIS was largely defeated, Iran [was] broke, their currency and economy in shambles. In fact, we had reporting back then that Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis were complaining they were not getting any money from Iran," Waltz continued, suggesting China, as the major buyer of Iran's oil, is "the big winner," as Iran's actions force the United States to relocate Pacific assets into the Middle East, giving the Chinese undue breathing room.
"As long as Iran is flush with cash, you will not have peace in the Middle East, and Xi Jinping is smiling all the way to the bank," Waltz concluded.
