Escalating Iranian aggression cost the lives of three U.S. soldiers in Jordan. These intolerable acts of violence by the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism can no longer go unpunished. The U.S. must respond with an immediate and unequivocal show of force that will begin to restore the deterrence that has decayed not only in the Middle East but around the world.
Over the past three years, President Biden’s diplomats have repeatedly made overtures and concessions to Iran, which has only emboldened the regime’s aggressive behavior. The Biden administration rolled back the Trump administration’s maximum-pressure strategy, agreed to a $6 billion ransom payment for five American hostages, allowed Iran to export more oil to China than ever, and removed the Houthis’ terrorist designation. Worse, the Biden administration has continued trying to revive the Iran nuclear deal, which would put Tehran back on the fast track to obtaining nuclear weapons.