The following is an excerpt from Con Coughlin’s article for London’s Daily Telegraph. See if it makes sense to you:
Judging by the scale of the latest attacks against international shipping by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthis, the rebels are taking little notice of the warnings issued by a succession of Western leaders of the dire military consequences they could face.
Initially, the Houthis claimed they were only targeting shipping linked to Israel as part of their efforts to support their allies Hamas. But in recent weeks the attacks have expanded to include shipping destined for Europe and the US through the Suez Canal in a deliberate attempt to disrupt trade with countries deemed to be backing Israel.
Iran, which is widely suspected of providing the Houthis with the drones and sophisticated anti-ship missiles used in the strikes, has previously sought to pressure Western governments by attacking shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the key access point for energy supplies in the Gulf.
Now Tehran, which has called on its proxies in the region to target Israel in support of Hamas, is believed to be encouraging the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea to pressure Western governments to scale down their support for Israel.
The Houthis’ refusal, moreover, to heed warnings of reprisals has been encouraged by the patent lack of political will by Western leaders to authorise the robust military action needed to neutralise the threat.
Destroying the drone and missile sites used by the Houthis and their Iranian backers to hit shipping in the Red Sea would deny them the ability to carry out the attacks in the first place. Indeed, the Pentagon, working in conjunction with the British military and other allies, has drawn up a list of policy options for the Biden administration that would achieve this aim, enabling the resumption of normal shipping operations in the area.
Yet, just as happened in Ukraine, where US President Joe Biden’s approach has been dictated by his aversion to provoking Moscow, the White House has so far refused to approve airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. It is afraid of upsetting Tehran, and provoking a wider escalation of the conflict in the Middle East.
Consequently, rather than authorising military action that would deter further Houthi attacks, Biden is seen in Tehran as a weak president who wants to avoid confrontation at all costs.
This, let’s remember, is the same Joe Biden who unfroze billions and billions of dollars, thus freeing up Iran to use that amount for whatever it cared to – like arming and training the houthi’s, and hamas and hezbollah.
And it is the same Joe Biden who did away with the sanctions Donald Trump put in place against Iran, which has given the Tehran terrorists a huge bump in their economy….to be used for whatever they care to use it for. Like what we’ve already discussed.
Barack Obama famously said “Don’t underestimate Joe Biden’s ability to fuck things up”. I didn’t always agree with Mr. Obama. But, when it comes to dealing with Iran and its terrorist activities, the only way that assessment is not spot-on 100% accurate is that it isn’t Biden making these decisions, it is the cadre of leftists who seem to be in control of his presidency.
Tell me: which of those two possibilities is the good one?
