If anyone thought the Biden administration would swiftly and effectively respond to the recent killing of three U.S. soldiers by Iran-controlled militias, think again. It's now been five days since the attack happened, and no retaliatory strikes have occurred.
Further, in an astounding show of cowardice, Biden and his cohorts in the "intelligence community" are now playing defense lawyer for Iran.
Intelligence officials have calculated that Tehran does not have full control over its proxy groups in the Middle East, including those responsible for attacking and killing U.S. troops in recent weeks, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter.
The Quds Force — an elite branch of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps — is responsible for sending weapons and military advisers as well as intelligence to support militias in Iraq and Syria as well as the Houthis in Yemen. The groups have varying ambitions and agendas, which sometimes overlap, but Tehran does not appear to have complete authority over their operational decision-making, the officials said.
While the disclosure means it may be particularly hard to predict what actions these groups will take, it also could lower the chance of the U.S. getting pulled into a direct confrontation with Iran. Any indication that Tehran was directly involved in ordering or overseeing the attacks would make U.S. retaliation against Iran more likely.
As with every leak that happens in the press, you always have to ask why the leak occurred. It's not a coincidence that amidst ongoing hesitation from the administration to respond to Iran's aggression, we are now seeing reports from "intelligence officials" (which are controlled by the White House) claiming that Iran isn't actually all that involved.
Of course, that assertion is laughably false. Those IRGC officials who are constantly in Iraq aren't there to enjoy the beaches and sprawling nightlife. They are there briefing and delivering intelligence to Iran's proxies. When Qasem Soleimani was turned into sausage in Bagdad, he was there directing Iranian-backed militias.
Claiming that the Mullahs aren't in "full control" is playing semantics. I'm sure Iran doesn't decree when each militia member eats dinner, but there is no doubt Iran helps identify targets and provides the weapons necessary to attack them. Yet, even if that wasn't the case, it still wouldn't absolve Iran because their financial support is enough to make them responsible.
What Biden is doing is disgraceful. He's so concerned with his dwindling re-election prospects that he's scared to take action in the face of naked aggression that killed U.S. soldiers. At this point, even if strikes do occur, they will have been so telegraphed that no high-valuable targets will be taken out. It's likely we hit some empty militia bases in Syria and Iraq and call it a day. That will simply give Iran the green light to move forward with more attacks.
Weakness has a cost. No one is suggesting a full-scale war with Iran, but to let its leaders off the hook here will have profoundly negative consequences down the road, including the likely deaths of more Americans. The right move is to hit Iran directly and provide a real deterrent in the future. Instead, Biden appears to be content to sell his own country down the river, reinforcing a perverted system of Iranian aggression, for what he sees as short-term political gain.