Putting Iran “on notice”

Putting Iran “on notice” February 7, 2017

613px-Army_of_the_Guardians_of_the_Islamic_Revolution_troop_marching_with_gun_and_headbandPresident Trump has put Iran “on notice” for its recent ballistic missile tests, which were forbidden by its accord with the previous administration.  An article in the Washington Post shows how Iran has grown into a major military power, forming alliances throughout the Middle East and becoming one of the few nations capable of projecting military force beyond its borders.

The analysis shows–without, of course, saying so–just how weak President Obama’s policies towards Iran were, enabling its economic and military revival so that it’s now a major threat in the Middle East.  Trump has re-imposed some sanctions and sent the destroyer U.S.S Cole to waters where Iran has been throwing its weight around.  It’s not clear what else he has in mind, should Iran continue its aggressive stance.

The Sunni Arab countries, such as Saudi Arabia, are delighted with Trump’s tough talk on Iran.  According to the article, the prospect of the United States standing up against their Shi’ite rival more than makes up for Trump’s anti-Muslim rhetoric.

But the president will have to deal with a couple of complicating factors:  The Shi’ite Iranians, with their proxy militias, are fighting the Sunni ISIS, arguably a much greater enemy of the United States.  And Iran is closely allied with Russia.  If Trump wants to improve relations with Vladimir Putin, that would conflict with his desire to get tough with Iran.

Read the article, excerpted and linked after the jump.

From Liz Sly and Loveday Morris, Trump wants to push back against Iran, but Iran is now more powerful than ever – The Washington Post:

President Trump’s tough talk on Iran is winning him friends in the Arab world, but it also carries a significant risk of conflict with a U.S. rival that is now more powerful than at any point since the creation of the Islamic republic nearly 40 years ago.

With its warning last week that Iran is “on notice,” the Trump administration signaled a sharp departure from the policies of President Barack Obama, whose focus on pursuing a nuclear deal with Iran eclipsed historic U.S. concerns about Iranian expansionism and heralded a rare period of detente between Washington and Tehran. . . .

Except that now the United States will be facing down a far stronger Iran, one that has taken advantage of the past six years of turmoil in the Arab world to steadily expand its reach and military capabilities. . . .

Iran’s alleged quest to produce a nuclear weapon — which Tehran has always denied — has been curbed by the nuclear accord signed in 2015. But in the meantime it has developed missiles capable of hitting U.S. bases and allies across the Middle East and built a network of alliances that have turned it into the most powerful regional player.

Iran now stands at the apex of an arc of influence stretching from Tehran to the Mediterranean, from the borders of NATO to the borders of Israel and along the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. It commands the loyalties of tens of thousands in allied militias and proxy armies that are fighting on the front lines in Syria, Iraq and Yemen with armored vehicles, tanks and heavy weapons. They have been joined by thousands of members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran’s most prestigious military wing, who have acquired meaningful battlefield experience in the process.

For the first time in its history, the Institute for the Study of War noted in a report last week, Iran has developed the capacity to project conventional military force for hundreds of miles beyond its borders. “This capability, which very few states in the world have, will fundamentally alter the strategic calculus and balance of power within the Middle East,” the institute said.

America’s Sunni Arab allies, who blame the Obama administration’s hesitancy for Iran’s expanded powers, are relishing the prospect of a more confrontational U.S. approach. Any misgivings they may have had about Trump’s anti-Muslim rhetoric have been dwarfed by their enthusiasm for an American president they believe will push back against Iran.

[Keep reading. . .] 

Photo by Unknown – Scanned from BBC Farsi TV channel, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44224658

"Interesting... no, wait, was this the site where I said that Genesis was poetry not ..."

Sasse’s “This Is My Body”
"You are not focusing of how time works and what it is. It all depends ..."

Sasse’s “This Is My Body”
"God created in a period of time equal to six 24-hour days, each of which, ..."

Sasse’s “This Is My Body”
"Reg - this approach gets original meaning wrong. The original readers of Genesis would have ..."

Sasse’s “This Is My Body”

Browse Our Archives