When it comes to US allies, Joe Biden seems to want them to be just as fearful of confrontation with Iran as America appears to be. According to reports, the White House will be relying on negotiations to address Iran's expanding nuclear program, which would make perfect sense if only the Biden foreign policy team had ever demonstrated a successful track record in international negotiations. BSadly, the geopolitical scoreboard is chock-a-block with US diplomatic disasters.
It's Simple – Biden Is Afraid of Iran
Meanwhile, Iran appears to be on track to creating its own arsenal of nuclear weapons. Whatever negotiations the US is engaged in, there has been little progress. Despite US sanctions, Iran continues its sponsorship of Yemeni Houthi terrorist attacks on Red Sea merchant shipping. The US was kicked out of Niger. The US was kicked out of Chad. China continues to bully Taiwan and the Philippines despite US admonishments. And no one will forget the negotiations with the Taliban leading to the debacle of a withdrawal from Afghanistan. The world saw how well that worked out. Now, the Biden administration has the hubris to tell allies not to confront Iran concerning its nuclear ambitions.
What has brought the issue of censuring Iran for its rapid advancement in stockpiling near weapons-grade nuclear material to the fore? Of particular concern is the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director general's assertion that Iran had accumulated substantial quantities of highly refined fissionable material. That was over a year ago.
Recent IAEA reports are no more encouraging. "Britain, France and Germany... circulated a draft resolution against Iran ahead of the UN nuclear watchdog's board meeting next week and appear determined to push it despite opposition from their US ally," Reuters reported. However, it seems that what motivates the Biden administration is not national security but political self-interest. The Reuters dispatch went on to explain, "[T]he US and its European partners, known as the E3, were divided over whether to confront Iran with Washington fearing such a resolution could risk further escalation in the region and rock the boat ahead of November's US election."
A recent article in The Wall Street Journal described a discussion between US officials and the E3: "The US is arguing against an effort by Britain and France to censure Iran at the International Atomic Energy Agency's member-state board in early June, the diplomats said. The US has pressed a number of other countries to abstain in a censure vote, saying that is what Washington will do.
Not making a solid statement of censure over Iran's advancing nuclear program demonstrates timidity on the part of Western nations. America’s reluctance to confront Iran certainly does not support the credibility of the IAEA, the chief watchdog agency to monitor Tehran's progress in developing atomic weapons.
Biden Has No Negotiating Strategy
The fundamental flaw in the US desire to try and negotiate limitations on Iran's nuclear weapons program is the absence of a plan. As with the US support for Ukraine, Biden's national security team fails to provide a logical roadmap to achieve a desirable end state. Biden's "as long as it takes" approach with Ukraine is a non-starter when dealing with the world's number one sponsor of terrorism and its desire for nuclear weapons. The failure to have a plan to address the Tehran government is not lost on the media. "At the heart of the dispute are concerns in some European countries, particularly France and Britain, that Washington lacks a strategy for dealing with Iran's nuclear advances," the WSJ observed.
Under Joe Biden's leadership, nearly every encounter the US has with Iran demonstrates a deep and abiding fear of the mullahs and a third-rate, at best, military. Consider what is at stake. The E3 wants a vote of censure in the UN against Iran for continuing its nuclear program. It's not a declaration that the UN is going to do anything. European allies are frustrated with the US not standing up to Tehran. They should be. If the White House does not want to be a leader, it should not try to persuade others to follow that fainthearted approach.
The views expressed are those of the author and not of any other affiliate.
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