US President Joe Biden addresses Pressure is mounting to punish Iran directly after a group allied to that country killed three U.S. soldiers in a drone strike in Jordan over the weekend. An offensive against Tehran would widen the conflict in the Middle East, something Biden seeks to avoid, and would undoubtedly have a strong impact on the November presidential campaign.
Shortly after Sunday’s attack, which wounded at least 34 soldiers, Biden said, “We will respond” and blamed “radical Iranian-backed fighter groups operating in Syria and Iraq,” Biden said. “Have no doubt: We will hold those responsible accountable, when and how we see fit,” he added in what could be an even stronger move than the one taken by the United States after the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel.
Iran, for its part, he denied any connection to the attack. But there are already strong political voices that have been raised in favor of a strong and direct retaliation, and it will be an issue that will certainly have an impact on the electoral campaign for the presidential elections on November 5, when everything indicates that Biden will once again face Donald . Briscola.
“Hit Iran now. Hit it hard”Lindsey Graham, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee and one of the party’s leading “hawks,” Biden said in a statement.
Senate Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Iran now wears “American blood as a badge of honor.” “The whole world is now looking for signals that the president is finally ready to exert American force to force Iran to change its behavior. “Our enemies are emboldened,” McConnell said.
Trump also attacked Biden on the issue. He described the deaths as “consequence of Joe Biden’s weakness and surrender” before Tehran, focusing on a deal the Biden administration struck last year with Iran to release American detainees in exchange for the release of $6 billion in Iranian funds.
Biden met with his national security team this Monday to evaluate response options. One possibility is a covert action in which the United States would attack Iran without claiming responsibility for the operation, but still sending a clear message. They could also target Iranian officials, as former President Trump did when he ordered the assassination of Gen. Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad in 2020.
President Joe Biden will “respond” to Sunday’s attack “in a very consistent manner,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. “But we are not looking for a war with Iran. “We are not looking for a broader conflict in the Middle East,” he added.
The attack presents Biden with the decision that will be one of the most important of his presidency. He wants to punish the perpetrators of the attack and dissuade Iran from its actions in the region. But this could put the United States in direct confrontation with Tehran’s leadership, which has already been emboldened in the region after the Hamas attack, launching attacks in Iraq and Pakistan.
“He’s under tremendous pressure: “The government is in kind of a lose-lose situation.”Colin Clarke, research director at the Soufan Center in New York, told AFP.
“I think he’s going to be beaten by people who say he’s weak and he’s going to be beaten by people who say he’s going too far. So it’s wrong if you do, and you’re damned if you don’t,” he explained.
Biden’s foreign policy is already a problem for his re-election, according to RealClearPolitics: 59.3% disapprove of the president’s management in this area and only 35.3% support it. 55% are unhappy with his handling of the war in Gaza and 52% reject him in favor of Russia/Ukraine.
A potential escalation with Iran, with further American deaths, would be too severe a blow, but remaining indifferent would send a signal of weakness. It must also weigh the possibility of further economic upheaval as the United States confronts Houthi militants, another pro-Iranian group, which has impacted global shipping and sparked fears of further economic turmoil by attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea. represents 12% of world trade.
“The Biden administration is going to have to tread a very delicate line in trying to respond with enough force to restore some modicum of deterrence so that this doesn’t happen again, without undertaking a response that escalates the conflict,” Jonathan told Bloomberg. , director of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative and former national intelligence noncommissioned officer at the National Intelligence Council. “The broader challenge, however, is how to deal with the Iranian threat.”
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.