Iranian proxy militias are currently the biggest threat to long-term peace in the Middle East, but the worst has yet to come. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Ebrahim Raisi are a destructive duo and want to add nuclear weapons to their arsenals.
Former President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the infamous JCPOA, informally known as the Iran nuclear deal, set the United States on a collision course with Iran. When the U.S. launched airstrikes against Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, the Islamic Republic decided to retaliate.
Rioters attacked the American Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, and Trump quickly promised to hold Iran accountable for provoking the incident. A red line was drawn: Don’t plan another attack in Iraq or Syria. Yet American intelligence showed that Iran was not complying and, in fact, developed plans to target Americans in the region.
Trump enforced his red line by liquidating Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike. Soleimani’s fiery demise was the highlight of Trump’s maximum pressure campaign against Iran and demonstrated the U.S.’s ability to enforce its security objectives in the region.
President Joe Biden wants to reestablish the JCPOA, or a renegotiated version of it, but Iran refuses to talk in good faith. Iranian negotiators want Biden to remove the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps from the Foreign Terrorist Organization list.
Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, publicly announced his opposition to delisting the Guard. Biden listened and informed former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett of his decision to keep the Guard on the blacklist.
Iran continues to make demands, but Biden has yet to budge on the Guard. The president’s stance on a nuclear Iran is a focal point of his trip to the Middle East. In an interview with Israeli outlet Channel 12 on Wednesday, Biden announced his support for using force “as a last resort” against Iran.
EXCLUSIVE @POTUS interview with @N12News: committed to keeping IRGC on the foreign terrorist organizations list even if it kills the deal; willing to use force “as last resort” pic.twitter.com/jWjLO0SVQz
— Yonit Levi (@LeviYonit) July 13, 2022
On Thursday, Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid signed a joint pledge to demonstrate unity against Iran’s threats. “The United States stresses that integral to this pledge is the commitment never to allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon, and that it is prepared to use all elements of its national power to ensure that outcome,” according to the statement.
A conflict with Iran is far from desirable, but it very well may become necessary. The rationale behind Israel and Iran’s rivalry transcends a fight for regional dominance. Iran’s leadership views the existence of Israel as a transgression and will do anything in its power to eradicate the Jewish state.
Israel is well aware of the consequences of a nuclearized Iran and conducted a military drill simulating a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities in May. If Iran develops nuclear weapons, Israel will likely launch a military operation with or without American support. If conflict is inevitable, the U.S. should ensure it has a say in it.
We can’t leave the safety of Israel to the hopes of mutually assured destruction. Iran launched ballistic missiles from its soil against an American base in Iraq following the death of Soleimani despite knowing the implications of the operation. It has punched above its weight before and may very well do it again.
Biden drew a red line in his visit to Israel, similar to Trump. If push comes to shove, it is necessary that the U.S. follows through with its declarations. Should Iran push for a nuclear conflict with Israel, it is up to the U.S. to ensure that Iran’s facilities are neutralized before something far more devastating can occur.
James Sweet is a summer 2022 Washington Examiner fellow.
