Votel: Iran Deal Hasn’t Changed Regime’s Activity in the Region

The Iran deal to limit that country’s nuclear program has not limited Iran’s behavior in the region, and in some cases it has increased, the top US military officer in the Middle East said. US Army Gen. Joseph Votel, commander of US Central Command, said there has been an increase in Iran’s malign activities in the region. Since the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was signed last summer, problems with the regime have not changed and concerns remain, Votel said Wednesday at a Foreign Policy Initiative event in Washington, D.C. There have been a string of tense actions in the Persian Gulf since the deal was signed, most recently on Saturday when an Iranian Revolutionary Guard vessel pointed its weapon at a US Navy helicopter. The incident, which took place in the Strait of Hormuz, was “unsafe and unprofessional,” a US official told Reuters.