SVG
Commentary
Wall Street Journal

How We Deterred Iran in the Gulf Last Time

After an Iranian mine ripped open a US ship, Reagan made it costly for Tehran.

Adjunct Fellow
USS Samuel B. Roberts underway after the ship struck a mine in the Persian Gulf, April 14, 1988.
Caption
USS Samuel B. Roberts underway after the ship struck a mine in the Persian Gulf, April 14, 1988. (US Navy)

“We’re not in an armed conflict with the Houthis,” deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh recently , and “part of why we are in the region is to bolster our deterrence.”

Such words aren’t assuring for our Navy ships in the Red Sea, which have been fending off missiles and attack drones fired by the Iran-backed rebels for the past several months. Yes, the Navy’s boast in an Army-Navy Game day video that one of our destroyers is 22-0 against Houthi fire is impressive and a testament to the skill of our Navy crews. But if the scoreboard flips to 100-1, Americans will demand to know why Iran didn’t feel all that deterred by our naval deployments and why our sailors were injured or killed.