Iran And Proxies Know US Won't Stand Up To Them - Sen. Cotton
US Senator Tom Cotton has voiced concerns over Iran's increasing aggression against US forces across the Middle East, saying Tehran-backed militants know the US would not confront them.
US Senator Tom Cotton has voiced concerns over Iran's increasing aggression against US forces across the Middle East, saying Tehran-backed militants know the US would not confront them.
“Iran’s proxies have attacked Americans in Iraq and Syria over 170 times. We have responded 8 times,” Cotton (R-AR) said. “Iran and its terror groups know President Joe Biden and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin won’t stand up to them.”
The Senator's comments underscore growing concerns among lawmakers about the Biden administration's approach to Iran, particularly in light of recent provocations by Iranian-backed militias. Many lawmakers argue that a stronger response is needed to prevent further escalation and protect American interests in the region.
Iran is currently at the helm of a regional proxy war which has seen its militias come out in support of the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, in a war which has escalated to draw in international players including the US and UK. Particularly worrisome are attacks by Yemen's Houthi militants, armed and supported by Tehran, who have unleashed deadly drone and missile attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
In a joint operation with Britain in February, the United States initiated dozens of strikes against Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria as well as its Yemeni proxy, the Houthis. The Houthis are currently blockading the Red Sea in a bid to force Israel into a ceasefire amidst the war in Gaza against the Iran-backed Hamas militia. Around 1,200 mostly civilians were murdered and at least 250 more taken hostage in the October 7 attack.
Reza Amiri Salehi's comments in the centrist Entekhab website appeared shortly after an election on March 1 with the lowest turnout in the 45-year history of the Islamic Republic.
The website quoted Amiri, a former Minister of Culture under President Hassan Rouhani's administration, as stating: "You cannot speak of effective governance in a country where 60 percent of the population goes to bed hungry." Amiri emphasized that Iran is grappling with an ever-growing segment of its population facing hunger.
Amiri also highlighted that all cultural institutions in Iran are mired in stagnation, and there is a prevailing belief among Iranians that change is inevitable. Speaking at the annual gathering of the Iranian Association of Political Scientists, Amiri noted that widespread despair has eroded the government's social capital, while widening social disparities have pushed society to the brink of a perilous collapse.
The former minister further underscored the lack of discourse and viable solutions within Iran's institutions to address the current predicament. He observed that while society is moving towards change, the government persists in outdated policies due to the absence of a viable governance model.
"Iran is entangled in a faulty governance cycle and the government does not realize the need for change," Amiri said, adding that latest elections in Iran were a good manifestation of the failure of the political system. The government is inefficient and incapable of meeting the nation's demands, he noted.
Iranian analyst Ali Hossein Ghazizadeh told Iran International TV on Thursday "following such a low-turnout election, any responsible government would have been introspective about the reasons behind public dissatisfaction. However, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and his associates prefer to rely on a like-minded minority to suppress and silence the majority. What could prompt change is the people's discontent."
Meanwhile, Iranian journalist Ali Shirazi told Iran International TV, referred to Khamenei’s long-standing anti-US ideology and said that in a recent speech, Khamenei advised newly elected members of the Assembly of Experts to continue the policy. “However, he failed to address the consequences of his longstanding opposition [to the US], which has led to sanctions and economic challenges for the people. Khamenei has never been held accountable for the repercussions of severing Iran's ties with the West."
Shirazi added, "In recent years, we have witnessed various segments of Iranian society, including teachers, workers, and government employees, demand social justice based on legislation passed by the Iranian parliament but never implemented. This renders Khamenei's emphasis on social justice meaningless."
Furthermore, Shirazi questioned Khamenei's pledge to combat corruption while serving as the senior Iranian official responsible for the corrupt government for over three decades.
In another development, former influential lawmaker Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh talked about the implications of the recent low-turnout election and the government's inefficiency regarding the country's national security. He called the elections a total failure for the government, which will have consequences.
He said the low turnout showed that the people believe elected institutions in Iran are not efficient. They also believe their votes cannot change their own fate. On the other hand, impolite comments by the novice politicians against experienced lawmakers and their own patrons have introduced them to the nation as individuals with no principles.
Falahatpisheh stressed that the government's disregard for the views of the 60 percent of eligible voters who abstained from voting poses a threat to Iran's national security and serves no one's interests.
