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Will Iran follow through on its threat to impose “severe punishment” on Israel for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr? The fact that we are even forced to ask this question can be blamed on the Biden-Harris administration’s appeasement policy in the region, which has led to much of the current instability in the Middle East.
Their failed approach emboldened America’s adversaries, particularly Iran and its proxies, even before the Iranian-backed Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel last October. And the administration has doubled down on its flawed strategy ever since, continuing to allow funds to flow to Tehran and promising the Palestinians a state as a reward for terrorism.
Under the Biden-Harris administration, the US has released nearly $100 billion in Iranian assets and resumed negotiations on the dangerous Iran nuclear deal. The administration abstained from a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) vote to declare an immediate ceasefire in the Iran-instigated war between Israel and Hamas.
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This irresponsible approach has already had disastrous consequences: last October, the world watched as emboldened, Iranian-financed and equipped Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and massacred 1,200 Israelis. Then, on April 13, Iran launched more than 300 missiles and drones at Israel, Iran’s largest-ever attack in the region and its first direct attack on Israel.
Since last October, Iranian-backed militias have attacked more than 170 US military bases and assets, and Hezbollah has launched more than 2,000 attacks in northern Israel, leaving the Jewish state in its most dangerous position in half a century.
What we have seen over the past year is a catastrophic failure of deterrence in the Middle East. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Deterrence produces stability and peace. Look at the record of the Trump Administration.
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Under President Trump, there have been no wars, no embassies have been withdrawn, Israel is strong and secure, we signed our first peace agreements with Arab countries in 25 years, energy markets have stabilized, and energy prices have become much more affordable for Americans.
These positive results are the result of strongly cooperating with Israel in words and actions, imposing tough economic sanctions on Iran, and not hesitating to eliminate terrorist leaders like Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and Qassem Soleimani.
We must also not forget that President Trump’s leadership as Commander in Chief served as a deterrent against Iran. His public condemnation and aggressive stance against the country made it clear to Iran and the rest of the world that the United States would no longer tolerate Iranian behavior. His sanctions regime contained Iran’s nuclear program.
Iran now perceives the United States as weak, primarily due to President Biden’s cognitive decline and embarrassing foreign policy blunders such as the withdrawal from Afghanistan and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Vice President Harris has been complicit in President Biden’s policy failures and has conspired to hide his weaknesses from the American people.
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The first step in restoring deterrence is to communicate that the United States intends to hold Iran directly accountable for any attacks carried out by its proxies or agents against U.S. forces, facilities, people, or interests.
Second, we will impose costs on Iran by eliminating Iranian military commanders responsible for directing Iranian proxies and agents, and by seizing and confiscating all vessels and cargoes of sanctioned Iranian exports. This also means enforcing all sanctions against financial institutions, transportation, insurance, and services involved in processing and selling Iranian oil, petrochemical, and metals exports.
The United States also needs to stand by its ally Israel: If the Biden-Harris Administration continues to delay supplies, restoring and accelerating all military supplies that Congress has authorized to Israel and its Middle Eastern partners that support the United States and Israel should be a top Congressional priority.
We also need to better address the threat of Iranian-backed terrorism at home. We need to identify, track, detain, and deport all illegal immigrants who enter the United States from Iran or its associated countries. The President can also use INA 212(f) to suspend the entry of Iranian nationals and their partners into the United States if he determines that they harm our national interests.
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Simply put, a president who takes America’s national security seriously has many tools at his disposal to more effectively deter Iran and its proxies. Deterrence brings peace and stability to the region. Absence of deterrence invites war.
Appeasement is no longer an option.
Robert Greenway is director of the Heritage Foundation’s Center for National Security.
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