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How America Can Thwart Iranian Expansionism

(Mosaic) Michael Doran and Peter Rough - Today, the center of gravity of Tehran's struggle for regional mastery is Syria. The most urgent priority of the administration, therefore, should be thwarting Iran's ambitions to solidify its position in that country. The U.S. should define its strategic goal as building a stable order in the region - one that will simultaneously prevent the revival of Islamic State and contain Iran. The U.S. must signal clearly that it will not leave Syrian territory until it is satisfied not just that IS is defeated but that the post-conflict Syrian government will present no threat to peace and security, especially by offering its territory as a base for Iranian expansionism. It must also signal its determination to contest Iranian influence everywhere. Governments must know with certainty that their warm relations with Iran will generate cold relations with the U.S. President Trump should make abundantly clear that the Iran deal - which grants that country an unfettered nuclear capacity in a relatively brief period of time - is manifestly not in the national-security interests of the U.S. and its allies. He should work with Congress to publicize Iran's support for terrorism and its development of ballistic missiles, and to punish these and other malign behaviors by imposing significant new economic sanctions. The U.S. should also support, aggressively, the Israeli demand to prevent the Iranians and Hizbullah from expanding their presence in southern Syria, along the Israeli and Jordanian borders, and entrenching themselves in Syria more broadly, including through the construction of missile bases and a naval port. Michael Doran is a former deputy assistant secretary of defense and a former senior director of the U.S. National Security Council. Peter Rough is a fellow at the Hudson Institute.
2017-09-07 00:00:00
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