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Iran's Appeasers in Washington

(Free Press) Amb. Michael Oren - Historians writing years from now about the Middle East will likely cite the role of the policies of those in Washington who sought to appease Iran at almost any price and ignore its serial aggressions. In 2009, Obama became the first president to refer to Tehran's regime as the Islamic Republic of Iran - legitimizing the oppressive theocracy - and stood aside while that republic's thugs beat and shot hundreds of Iranian citizens protesting for their freedom. Over the next four years, the White House ignored a relentless spate of Iranian aggressions - attacks against U.S. Navy vessels in the Persian Gulf; backing for al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups dedicated to America's destruction; and barely disguised efforts to undermine pro-Western Middle Eastern governments. At the same time, Iran supported Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad's mass slaughter - often with poison gas - of his own countrymen. Since the start of the war against Hamas, Iranian proxies have launched more than 170 attacks against U.S. military bases in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan, and all but blocked international shipping through the strategically crucial Bab al-Mandeb Strait. Still, the U.S. refrained from retaliating against Iran directly, or even holding it publicly responsible. Historians will survey this inexplicable record and wonder how the U.S. not only allowed Iran to repeatedly assault its citizens, soldiers and allies, but consistently rewarded it for doing so. While Israel is grateful for the vital assistance it received in intercepting Iran's missile and drone onslaught, nothing substantial in the U.S. position toward Iran has changed. The Iranians will see this direct attack on Israel as a victory for their ability to continue threatening Israel. Either America stands up boldly against Iran and joins Israel in deterring it, or Iran emerges from this conflict once again unpunished, undiminished, and ready to inflict yet more damage. The writer is a former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S.
2024-04-25 00:00:00
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