Biden’s Paltry Response to Iran Protests Empowers the Regime

In 2009, Iran was gripped by nationwide protests following the corrupt and illegitimate election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.  Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s theocratic regime engineered Ahmadinejad’s victory over a less-desired candidate via vote-rigging and other forms of manipulation.  The public backlash that swept the nation following the election posed a serious threat to the regime’s power. Still, the Obama-Biden Administration – in its blind desire to negotiate a nuclear deal with the regime – opted to quietly support Khamenei and his murderous cronies. The protests, though admirable, were to no avail. Over a decade later, the Biden Administration is now faced with a similar decision.  Unfortunately, Biden seems dedicated to making the same mistakes Obama made.

Mahsa Amini, a young Iranian woman, was brutally beaten by Iran’s Morality Police for not wearing her hijab correctly. She died in custody the same day, on September 16th, likely from the wounds inflicted on her by the regime’s thugs (who pathetically claim the 22-year-old died due to a ‘heart attack’).  Massive protests across Iran have followed this heinous and condemnable act, led chiefly by Iranian women who have displayed inspirational bravery, resolve, and leadership.  Even in the face of a brutal crackdown by the Ayatollah’s regime, during which many more Iranian protesters have been arrested or killed, the protests have only grown.  Today they are larger and more widespread than any we have seen since 2009. Especially in light of news regarding the Ayatollah Khamenei’s failing health, this is a critical moment for the fate of the regime and the entire region.

Any responsible American  Administration would have made clear their support of these protesters, both in rhetoric and action.  This was undoubtedly the approach our Administration took during similar protests across Iran in 2019.  We voiced our support, then followed through with action by introducing even more harsh sanctions on the regime than we already had in place. We were relentless in enforcing them.  Unfortunately, the Biden Administration has mostly opted for the usual press statements and strong rhetoric, while failing to punish the regime in any meaningful way.  In doing so, the Administration is sure to repeat Obama’s failures.

In fact, rather than pursue sanctions and other punitive measures against Iran, the Biden Administration seems committed only to alienating and attacking friends and allies in the region, who are essential to keeping Iran contained.  For instance, the National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby informed the press this week that President Biden was going to ‘reevaluate’ the U.S.-Saudi Arabia relationship “right away.”  In the Trump Administration, we knew we needed to work with the Saudis to sustain global energy prices and confront jihadist terror threats, in addition to keeping Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. To placate his base, Biden has turned our friends into the Middle East’s bad guy, even as he has given the Iranian regime new life by failing to enforce sanctions.

This has had real consequences across the region and beyond.  Where we were able to wipe out 96% of Iran’s foreign exchange reserves and usher in historic stability and peace in the Middle East, Biden has done the opposite. Iran’s export revenues from oil, gas, and related by-products totaled $39 billion in Biden’s first year in office – 77% more than it was during the final year of the Trump Administration.  This influx of cash and resources has enabled the regime to crush protesters and dissidents at home, as we are watching happen now.  It has enabled the regime to fund Houthi attacks on regional oil infrastructure.  It has enabled the Iranian regime to manufacture and sell drones to Russia.  Putin is now using those same drones to murder Ukrainian civilians.  The latest attack occurred just this week in Kyiv.

The Biden Administration, or rather Obama’s junior varsity players, have failed to learn the lesson we in the Trump Administration understood from day one: Allowing the Iranian regime to prosper only leads to regional and global instability, as well as terrible retribution for those Iranians who wish to live free from the regime’s brutality.  If Joe Biden is not held accountable for propping up the Ayatollah and his cronies, that retribution will continue to spread beyond the Iranian people – to the Israelis, the Saudis, and ultimately to the American people.