LOS ANGELES.–Sending B-52 Stratofortress bombers from Minot Air Force Base ‘s 5th Bomb Wing in North Dakota to the Middle East, Pentagon officials fear that Iran could attack Israel at any time, in a serious escalation of hostilities. Iran’s 85-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameni threatened Israel and the United States on the 45th anniversary of the Nov. 4, 1979 hijacking of the U.S. embassy in Tehran, marking the Islamic Revolution and end of U.S.-Iranian relations. Iran kept 54 U.S. hostages 444 days before finally releasing them Jan. 20, 1981, the day President Ronald Reagan was sworn in. For the last 45-years, the U.S. has not dealt with Iran’s destabilizing influence in the Middle East, sponsoring terrorists by funding Gaza’s Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Yemen’s Houthis and Iraq and Syria’s Ketaib Hezbollah, all designed to work for Israel’s destruction.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) urged the White House to take out Iran’s oil infrastructure creating damage to Iran’s economy. Former President Barack Obama thought he could stem Iran’s feverish pursuit on enriched uranium by negotiating the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA] a feckless attempt without any real verification to slow Iran’s pursuit of an A-bomb. Obama traded Iran’s commitment to curtail uranium enrichment to release billions in frozen Ukrainian assets, including ending economic sanctions. By the time 78-year-old President Donald Trump came to office, it was clear that Iran used the billions in unfrozen Iranian assets to finance terror groups like Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Houthis in Yemen and Ketaib Hezbollah in Iraq and Syria. Trump realized there was no enforcement provision to Obama’s JCPOA.
Trump realized what a farce the JCPOA because the U.S. could not verify whether Iran complied with its agreed-to limits in Uranium enrichment. So, on May 8, 2018 Trump cancelled the JCPOA because not only was Iran in noncompliance but Yemen’s Iran-funded Houthis were at war with Saudi Arabia, a key U.S. Mideast ally. Democrats and the press never admitted the reason for cancelling the JCPOA but they were entirely valid, considering the Houthis were striking Saudi Aramco Oil facilities and the Riyadh International Airport. Once Trump left office Jan. 20, 2021, 81-year-old President Joe Biden and 60-year-old Vice President Kamala Harris did nothing to reign in Iran’s malign activities, especially funding Hamas, Hezbollah and Houthi rebels. Things got so bad recently with the Houthis that they shut down commercial shipping lanes in the Black Sea.
Threatening the U.S. and Israel with a “crushing response,” the Ayatollah continues to wreak havoc in the Middle East, all designed to inflict maximum punishment on Israel and U.S. targets. When Graham urges Biden to take action, he realizes that nothing will get done with the current administration, unwilling to take political risks until after the Nov. 5 election. But even after the election, there’s no commander-in-chief capable of managing the Ukraine and Mideast Wars. President Joe Biden, 81, clearly is managed by underlings because of his cognitive limitations leaving the Mideast burning and Ukraine moving dangerously close to WW III or nuclear war. Dealing with Iran is the last thing the White House wants to do only two days before the Nov. 5 election. Khamenei continues to threaten the U.S. and Israel with impunity because no one holds him accountable.
If the Ayatollah strikes Israel again, Biden or his handlers should give the green light to employ the B-52 long-range bombers to start taking out Iran’s oil and nuclear infrastructure. Israel has 100 U.S. soldiers specialized in THAAD [Terminal High Altitude Arial Defense] missile system, capable of intercepting any Iranian long-range missile. But by far the biggest deterrent to Iran is the U.S. or Israel striking Iran’s oil or nuclear infrastructure, something that can’t be easily replaced without catastrophic damage to Iran’s already battered economy. “The enemies, where the Zionist regime or the United States of America, will definitely receive a crushing response to what they are doing to Iran and the Iranian nation and to the resistance front,” Khaemenei told a group of students via a video feed at Tehran University, commemorating Iranian Students Day.
Ayatollah Khamenei isn’t in his right mind plotting another missile strike on Israel. Not only will any missile strike fail, it subjects the Tehran-based mullah regime to progressively more devastating attacks. U.S. inaction on Iran has put the burden on Israel who already fights wars with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iran acts like Israel is the aggressor when its funded proxy terror groups to attack Israel’s sovereignty. Armed with the Iron Dome and now THAAD missile defense systems, there’s little Iran can do to Israel other than force it to use its defense systems to fend off attacks. Once some command-and-control is restored at the White House after the election, the time is long overdue for the U.S. to deal with Iran directly. Graham’s suggestion of hitting Iran’s oil infrastructure is the best way to knock some sense into the Ayatollah that thinks he can run wild with proxy terror groups without consequences. Only after a decisive response, will Ayatollah get the message.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
