It appears the Iranians finally ran out of luck. After masterfully demanding their way to a nuclear deal, Iran still had one more demand for one of its negotiation partners, France: a state dinner that excluded wine. That turned out to be the one demand to which the French would not concede.

We’ll give you everything you want on the nuclear deal, but don’t you dare tell us what beverages to serve at a state dinner. We’ll pave the way for you to build a nuclear arsenal. But red wine is where we draw the line!

That essentially was the message France sent to the Islamic Republic when Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s visiting delegation demanded a halal meal that excluded wine. Rouhani and his delegation were in France to forge new business partnerships and diplomatic “friendships” following the lifting of sanctions on Iran and the implementation of the P5+1 nuclear deal.

“France, unlike Italy, has reportedly refused to take wine off the table for Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, meaning he will lunch alone during his historic trip to Paris—the first for an Iranian leader in 17 years,” the Telegraph wrote January 27. “As anger mounted in Rome on Wednesday over a decision to cover up nude statues with large white panels so as not to offend Mr. Rouhani, the French have already made it clear that no such cultural concessions would be made regarding its cherished gastronomy.”

If only the French had insisted that wine be served during the P5+1 negotiations with Iran, then maybe the Iranians would have walked out; maybe the disastrous nuclear deal wouldn’t have gone through.

Back in July 2015, when a comprehensive agreement on the deal was announced, syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer called it “the worst deal since the Munich deal of 1938,” referring to the “peace” deal between Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler.

Krauthammer said,

Iran is no longer a pariah state. It’s now going to be treated like any other state. Open to commerce, to business. Within a couple of years, it will be able to import weapons, the highest developed weapons in the world. Its economy is about to get a $150 billion injection. It’s going to be allowed to sell its oil, to triple its output to the tune of about $120 million a day. It’s going to have an economic resurgence, and it’s dominating the region, threatening our allies. …Iran will not just be a nuclear arms state, but have a large arsenal of nuclear weapons in about 10 to 15 years, assuming Iran adheres to the treaty, which [assuredly], it will not. But in the best-case scenario, it creates Iran as a threshold nuclear state of which Obama himself said a couple of months ago, in years 12, 13, 14, there will be zero breakout time—meaning the distance it would have to travel from where it would be, legitimated by the world, to being nuclear armed with a large arsenal is absolutely disappearing. In other words, it would be on the threshold of becoming a nuclear state whenever it wants.

After the nuclear deal implementation day, Krauthammer noted:

[W]e have just concluded a deal … in which we’ve given all of our leverage away at the beginning—with the cash, with the lifting of sanctions. We have a risible inspection regime. And there is no chance whatsoever of there ever being a re-imposition of sanctions.The Iranians are talking about a 5 percent growth in their economy; it’s been shrinking under the sanctions. And the minister of transport just announced that they’re going to purchase 114 Airbuses from Europe, a perfect example of how they are now locking in all kinds of deals with the Europeans as a way to ensure that there will never be a re-imposition of sanctions.We gave everything away. We have guaranteed that Iran will acquire a nuke in about a decade.

France and the P5+1 nations have removed sanctions on Iran (and with them, its status as a pariah state). They have installed a laughable inspection process and availed business and commerce opportunities to Iran. They have allowed Iran to dominate the Middle East and threaten Western allies in the region. They have permitted Iran to import weapons and, worst of all, guaranteed that Iran will acquire a nuclear weapon.

But when it comes to red wine at a dinner in Paris, the French stand their ground!

These are more tales from an upside-down world, as Trumpet managing editor Joel Hilliker wrote last year. What’s truly important is trivialized, and what’s trivial is often what the world focuses on the most.

While Rouhani was busy shaking hands and signing deals with European leaders on January 27, his boss, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, commemorated Holocaust Memorial Day by posting a Holocaust-denying video on his website. January 27 is also the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz—“the world’s biggest Jewish cemetery,” as the Telegraph noted. Auschwitz was an extermination camp where more than 1 million people were murdered. Yet Europe’s newest business partners in Iran deny that the Holocaust even happened.

The Telegraph added:

Khamenei’s message comes as President Hassan Rouhani tours Italy and France, attempting to drum up trade and diplomatic links after his country signed a historic deal to limit its nuclear ambitions.Khamenei, who has the final word on high matters of state, including last summer’s nuclear deal, used his video to call on the “dear people of Iran” to “stand up against the ignorance” of the West.

These are strong signs of a buildup toward a clash between radical Islam and Catholic Europe.

It’s so much more serious than a frivolous spat over a glass of wine.