Iran is putting into action its belief that the U.S. will tolerate escalating attacks on its forces in Iraq and Syria. The Biden administration is encouraging this dangerous perception. A Pentagon spokesperson claimed on Tuesday that when it comes to Iran, “deterrence is incredibly strong on our side….”

This is absurd stuff. If the administration truly believes that very occasional U.S. airstrikes on unoccupied IRGC warehouses are providing “incredibly strong” deterrence against relentless Iranian rocket strikes, what on earth would weak deterrence look like?