Some security experts warn that the biggest threat to US security might not be one that gets the most attention.
Counterterrorism officials and the public are on high alert from terrorism threats, but anew threat assessment from the conservative Heritage Foundation warned that Iran "represents by far the most significant security challenge to the United States, its allies, and its interests in the greater Middle East."
Iran might not be as much of a short-term threat to US domestic security as terrorist groups like ISIS and Al Qaeda. But its potential for developing a nuclear weapon once its deal with the US expires makes it a significant long-term threat.
The deal the Obama administration struck with Iran limits the country's capacity for developing a nuclear weapon in exchange for sanctions relief, but after 10 years the Shia Islamic theocracy could start ramping up its nuclear program.
"They're very patient and they're very strategic," Michael Pregent, an adjunct fellow at the Hudson Institute and former US Army intelligence officer in Iraq who opposes the Iran deal, told Business Insider. "For us, 15 years seems like a long time, for them it doesn't … They'll be able to weaponize in 15 years. And then they'll be the dominant force in the Middle East." READ MORE
