The Obama administration is facing renewed criticism that it is avoiding confronting Iran over a widening list of the Islamic Republic’s sanctions violations and military activities, after State Department officials would not commit to taking punitive action against a top Iranian military official who was photographed touring Aleppo in violation of an international travel ban.
The visit from Qasem Soleimani, commander of Iran’s secretive Quds Force, occurred in the aftermath of a military campaign which left the Syrian city facing a deepening humanitarian crisis and generated accusations that Iran-backed militias fighting alongside the regime likely committed war crimes.
After the battle ebbed, photos began to circulate of Soleimani visiting the city. The United Nations Security Council resolution that affirmed the nuclear deal placed Soleimani under a travel ban, but he has repeatedly been spotted in Russia and overseas with Shiite militias.
The State Department said on Monday that Soleimani had violated the travel ban but would not pledge to take action against Iran in response, saying instead that the United States would consult with other U.N. members on the issue.
“We do intend to consult with our partners on the Security Council about how to address our concerns with this,” spokesman John Kirby told reporters. “We’ve long said that Iran needs to choose whether it’s going to play a positive role in helping peacefully resolve conflicts such as in Syria or whether it will choose to prolong them.”
Experts told THE WEEKLY STANDARD that the administration is not willing to take significant action to punish the violation.
“The White House may very well want to try to go for something at the Security Council, but I’m sure they’re not expecting anything to materialize,” said Matthew McInnis, a veteran Defense Department official. “They know that the Russians are not going to back them on this, so it’s purely a diplomatic exercise.”
“They’re not going to consider any type of new, U.S. unilateral, punitive actions for Soleimani showing up, for example. They’re quite safe in going to the U.N. Security Council,” he added. “We’re too afraid of losing the nuclear deal to push back against the actions of Soleimani and his subordinate proxies and terrorist groups.”
Other experts told TWS the administration often uses the same tactic to delay action against Iran in response to violations.
“This is how they always do it,” said an Iran sanctions expert who has worked with Congress on the issue. “They do the exact same thing about Iranian ballistic missile violations, procurement violations, and military travel violations. They say that they’re going to talk about it, and then they wait until journalists move on, then they let the issue drop.”
Soleimani has violated the travel ban a number of times, including a trip to Moscow last July, where he reportedly unveiled a plan for a Russian-Iranian offensive in Syria to prop up Assad. Obama officials expressed concern about the visit.
The administration’s delaying tactic is likely to further erode American influence in the Middle East, according to experts who watch the region and Iranian politics.
“The policy is to wash America’s hands of the region, which creates a power vacuum that, naturally, has to be filled by other powers,” said Amir Toumaj, research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “The administration knows that Russia would likely oppose taking action against Soleimani, who is Russia’s ally in Syria on the ground.”
The controversy comes as the administration faces criticism over downplaying Iran’s role propping up the Assad regime, which some experts have linked to a White House policy aimed at preserving the nuclear deal. Officials have also faced questions over avoiding imposing Syria-related sanctions on Iran.
The Associated Press reported in October that the Obama administration was broadly resisting congressional moves to impose sanctions relating to Syria because they might lead to a confrontation with Iran.
Soleimani has been subject to a United Nations travel ban and asset freeze since 2007 and has been sanctioned by the United States over support for terrorism.
