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The Biden administration on Monday grappled with the idea of retaliating against Iran and its proxies without escalating the Middle East conflict.
Unconfirmed reports say President Biden could approve military action in the Middle East early Tuesday morning local time. But the U.S. airstrikes were not recorded, further angering those in Washington who for months have called on Biden to “get tough” on Iran and believe the loss of American lives must be retaliated against.
Of course, that is what the administration promised.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said Monday that “the President and I will not tolerate attacks on U.S. troops and will take all necessary actions to protect America and our military.” He reiterated that.
But “necessary action” often has consequences. And it is these potential consequences that seem to make the Biden administration uncomfortable.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said “we want to avoid widespread escalation,” adding that there is a general consensus within the U.S. government that a substantive attack on Iran would lead to all-out war in an already “incredibly unstable” region. betrayed that perception.
“I contend that since at least 1973, and perhaps even before that, we have never seen a situation as dangerous as the one we now face across the region,” Blinken said, adding that the United States would respond at the same time. I warned you. “Be strong” against those who try to use the crisis to attack Americans.
Observers noted that as recently as last September, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the region was “quieter today than it has been in 20 years,” and the administration lacked a coherent Middle East policy. It was noted that they emphasized the view that there was a lack of
To critics, Iran appears to be ignoring warnings from the Biden administration for that reason. As it turned out, the initial warnings of “stop, stop, stop” were never borne out by action. And later, statements such as “The message has been delivered to Iran” regarding airstrikes against the Houthis in Yemen turned out to be more expressions of wish than declarations of fact.
Still, many experts believe that a resulting strike is inevitable this time.
President Biden, with all his concerns about regional “peace and stability” and his distaste for rising oil prices that would hurt American consumers, is unlikely to contest the presidential election due to his image of weak foreign policy. You might think it’s impossible.
Nikki Haley, Biden’s potential rival in the 2024 election, slammed the incumbent in an interview on Fox News on Monday, saying he “wanted to attack Iran wisely” to avoid further harm to American troops. ” and called for “taking away their abilities.”
“Joe Biden has been placating Iran for too long,” Haley posted on X. “Dictators and thugs only respond to strength.”
More than 40 U.S. service members were injured in last weekend’s attacks, five of whom suffered traumatic brain injuries. At least 160 attacks on U.S. soldiers have been recorded in Iraq and Syria since October. He received less than 10% of these attacks in retaliation. And Biden’s critics say three soldiers lost their lives because of this very disparity in aggressiveness.
“Real leadership requires real action,” Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a statement. “Until this president shows strong leadership and strikes fear into our enemies, the attacks on our service members, allies, and interests will continue.”
President Biden has vowed a strong response to attacks on the Iranian regime. Secretary Blinken said the response would be “multi-phased and phased and could be sustained over a long period of time.”
Experts predict a range of possible retaliatory actions, from Soleimani-style military killings to cyberattacks on Revolutionary Guard command and control, from CIA operations to airstrikes on Iran’s navy and oil production facilities in Iran. , or suggests.
Perhaps sensing danger, Iranian officials believe that the group of armed groups that the Islamic Republic funds, trains, and equips and that they call the “resistance” are acting independently and based on their beliefs. He denied the attack on a US military base in Jordan last weekend. Specific agendas and emergencies.
Attack on Iran proponents say these groups cannot function without Iranian support or will be significantly reduced. And Iran insists it will only withdraw aid if it is unavoidable.
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