Biden-Harris Appeasement of Iran Has Gotten Results You'd Expect – More Iranian Attacks on Ships, Israelis, and American Soldiers

Tensions in the Middle East are reaching truly dangerous levels.  This week, Iranian proxy forces launched an attack against a U.S. military base, wounding several American soldiers.  A Hezbollah drone attack in the northern Galilee region of Israel on Tuesday wounded 19 Israelis.  On Wednesday, the Houthis fired on more container ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, as well as two U.S. Destroyers.  Hamas continues to hide in its tunnels, refusing to surrender or give up hostages under any circumstances.  And of course, Iranian proxies across Iraq are once more targeting American military bases and putting our soldiers at risk.

The connection and intention clear: Iran is positioning its forces across the region for a much larger, sustained attack on Israel, while Israel continues to take increased steps to maintain deterrence against Iran and its many proxies.  What’s less clear is how the Biden-Harris Administration will handle these rising tensions, as it has so far responded with its trademark mix of ambiguity, diplomat-speak, and weakness.  This is unacceptable: Biden-Harris’ failed leadership is pushing the world toward broader war and instability.

This did not happen overnight.  It is the culmination of a string of inexcusable failures of leadership by the entire Biden-Harris team.  Biden and Harris failed to enforce sanctions on the Iranian regime and made absurd ransom payments in exchange for hostages.  They have allowed the Houthis, a ragtag group of terrorists armed with Iranian-supplied weapons, to shut down a major artery of international trade for months.  They have failed to respond to repeated attacks by Iranian proxies on American military bases with anything remotely resembling the devastating reprisal such brazen assaults warrant.  By trying to restrain Israel in its effort to eliminate Hamas, President Biden and Vice President Harris have convinced Hamas terrorists that it is in their best interests to hunker down in their tunnels and wait for U.S. pressure on Israel to eventually save them.  Biden and Harris’ weakness has meant that Israel must almost entirely bear the burden of maintaining deterrence with Iran and its proxies. 

Under the Trump Administration, such a state of affairs would have been absolutely intolerable.  We saw clearly that Iran and its support for radical Islamic terror was the primary source of instability in the region.  That’s why when Iran threatened the lives of U.S. soldiers, we took immediate action by eliminating its top general.  In doing so, we maintained deterrence and did not allow Iran to control the ladder of escalation.  This, plus rigorous sanctions and diplomatic work that brought the rest of the region together, kept Iran in a box and made peace between Israel and its neighbors possible.  That was less than four years ago.

Unfortunately, President Biden and Vice President Harris have put Americans, Israelis, and the entire region at risk by adopting a posture of weakness and appeasement toward the Iranian regime.  Even now, after an Iranian proxy’s attack on one of our military bases wounded American soldiers, the Administration is urging that “all parties must refrain from escalation.”  Asked whether Iran would stand down from its attacks, President Biden responded, “I hope so. I don’t know.” 

Deterrence is not only a matter of raw numbers and hard power. If our adversaries are to be deterred, they must perceive our leaders as being capable and willing to use America’s massive military might when threatened.  Sending yet another aircraft carrier to the Middle East accomplishes little, other than pulling vital resources away from the Indo-Pacific.  It will not change the perception of weakness this Administration has cultivated on the world stage.  Our adversaries – not just Iran, but Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping as well – have become far more risk-seeking in their efforts to inflict pain on the American people and undermine our interests as a result of the Biden-Harris Administration’s weakness.

The recent actions of our leaders have only reinforced this message: President Biden dropped out of the presidential race yet still occupies the Oval Office, Vice President Harris skipped Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress last week to speak at a sorority event, and Governor Tim Walz – the man Harris just selected as her running mate – has shown a gross tendency to placate and kowtow to pro-Hamas radicals in his own state.  They should all set politics aside and take the necessary steps to secure American lives and keep war in the Middle East at bay by standing with Israel and actually deterring Iran.