The policies of the Biden-Harris administration, including turning a blind eye to Iran's nuclear advancements, its destabilizing actions in the Middle East and the release of billions of dollars to the Iranian terror empire, have undoubtedly empowered Iran's regime, granting it the freedom to pursue its Islamist fundamentalist ambitions, including its ultimate goals of annihilating Israel and disabling the United States.
The exorbitantly lenient approach of the Biden-Harris administration has allowed Iran to reach unprecedented levels of power, influence and bellicosity. Iran is now openly providing military support to Russia in its ongoing war to conquer Ukraine. Iran's regime has also activated its proxies—Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Houthis — to launch attacks on Israel. Even more alarming is Iran's direct aggression towards Israel and the acceleration of its nuclear weapons program, scenarios that would have been unimaginable during previous administrations.
President Ronald Reagan, for instance, did not hesitate to employ military force to send a powerful message to Iran's leaders, which successfully put a stop to their destructive activities.
Operation Praying Mantis was a military action conducted by the US on April 18, 1988, in the Persian Gulf, in response to the mining of the U.S. Navy frigate USS Samuel B. Roberts by Iran during the Iran-Iraq War. The mining had taken place on April 14, 1988, causing damage to the frigate.
Reagan authorized Operation Praying Mantis to retaliate against Iran for the mining and to neutralize Iran's naval capabilities in the region. The operation, carried out by the U.S. Navy, marked the largest U.S. naval engagement since World War II. The primary targets were Iranian naval units, including warships and small boats, which were considered a threat to U.S. and international shipping in the Persian Gulf.
During the engagement, U.S. forces sank or severely damaged several Iranian naval vessels, including frigates, gunboats, and speedboats. Operation Praying Mantis aimed to demonstrate U.S. resolve in protecting its and its allies interests and maintaining freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf.
U.S. forces suffered no casualties. For the remainder of Reagan's term, there was not one further provocation from Iran.
The operation effectively achieved its objectives: it retaliated against Iran for its aggressive actions, delivering a strong message, significantly reduced the threat posed by Iranian naval forces in the region, and successfully deterred Iran from further malign action.
President Donald J. Trump took a similar firm stance against Iran by cutting off the financial lifelines of its regime. Through a "maximum pressure" policy, Trump imposed a series of economic sanctions that targeted Iran's primary source of income: its oil exports. Those sanctions led to a record low in Iran's oil sales and crippled its economy. The Iranian regime faced substantial economic challenges, both domestically and abroad, and was severely limited in its ability to finance its proxies and their military and terrorist operations.
Combining those strategies of military action and economic pressure offers a comprehensive approach to effectively stop or greatly reduce Iranian aggression. Military intervention would curb Iran's aggressive behavior, while economic sanctions would weaken its ability to fund its proxies abroad, as well as its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and hinder the country's ability to pursue nuclear weapons.
America's recent policies of appeasement have only served to embolden, strengthen and build up Iran and its terrorist agents.
It is perplexing why Barack Obama, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris chose destabilizing policies of empowering terrorist groups and their sponsors, Qatar and Iran, rather than continue Donald Trump's policy of peace and prosperity, which was in place and humming when the Biden-Harris administration took office in 2021.
Iran and Qatar have for decades been the source of all the instability in the region and much of it beyond.
Qatar has been poisoning American education with at least $6 billion in unreported "gifts and agreements," and Iran, while building forward bases in Cuba and Venezuela, is busy cyber-hacking the U.S. and trying to assassinate U.S. officials on American soil.
It is clearly time for America to go back to the policy of peace and prosperity in the Middle East and a pro-freedom agenda in American universities – as opposed to financing terrorists, their sponsors and especially Iran's virulently anti-Western and anti-American nuclear weapons program.
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a business strategist and advisor, Harvard-educated scholar, political scientist, board member of Harvard International Review, and president of the International American Council on the Middle East. He has authored several books on Islam and US Foreign Policy. He can be reached at Dr.Rafizadeh@Post.Harvard.Edu
Edward C. Stengel