On Monday, a group of U.S. veterans opposed to the Iran nuclear deal released a TV advertisement featuring an Iraq War veteran who was blown up by an Iranian roadside bomb.
The ad is a powerful reminder of Iran’s role in the deaths of at least 500 U.S. soldiers in the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars alone. Iran supplied Shiite insurgents in those wars with deadly bombs, called Explosively Formed Penetrators (EFPs), which could punch through the armor of U.S. Humvees.
"It cut me in half from the left corner of my temple down through my jaw; it took my gunner’s legs off," Sgt. Robert Bartlett said. "Total devastation."
Prominent members of Congress like Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.), who is an Iraq War veteran, have drawn attention to Iran’s deadly anti-American terrorism.
The brutal tactics of Iran and its proxies targeted combatants and non-combatants alike.
"They had kidnapped little kids from neighboring villages, put bullets in their heads—killed them in front of the villagers and said ‘we’re going to run our bombs out of here,’" Bartlett said. "That’s who we’re making a deal with."
The Quds Force, the elite military unit responsible for arming Iran’s terrorist proxies, will benefit from a windfall of funding—a possible 50 percent budget increase—if the Iran deal is approved by Congress.
"A vote for this deal means more money for Iranian terrorism," Bartlett said. "What do you think they’re gonna do with more money?"
Veterans Against the Deal, a 501(c)(4) non-profit, released Bartlett’s story as the first of several advertisements. The video targets Sen. Joe Tester (D., Mont.), a likely candidate to join the growing ranks of Democratic lawmakers opposed to the deal.