The late, great comedian Robin Williams once said that law enforcement is unarmed in England. He observed, “If you commit a crime, the police will say ‘Stop, or I’ll say stop again.’”
It’s a strategy adopted by a weak and spineless President Joe Biden, who once again told Tehran-backed militants not to attack American personnel.
“Don’t,” he warned. Again.
The White House is getting a lot of criticism because people think President Biden’s warnings to Iran are not being taken seriously. This comes after militias supported by Iran hurt American soldiers at an air base in Iraq on Monday and are suspected of another attack in Syria on Friday.
On Saturday, following a Friday attack, Biden again told reporters his message to Iran was “Don’t.” Critics say his approach to Iran isn’t working and that his warnings to Iran and its allies in October and April haven’t stopped them.
After the attack in Iraq on Monday, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met with their national security team to discuss the situation. Biden mentioned on X that they talked about protecting U.S. forces and responding to attacks in ways and places they choose.
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shared an interview with Fox News, saying that while the Administration keeps telling Iran “Don’t,” they aren’t taking any actions to punish them. He believes this weakness makes the threat from Iran even worse. Biden used the word “Don’t” when asked about Iran just days before Iran’s first attack on Israel in April.
On Friday, there was another attack on a U.S. base in Syria. U.S. officials told Fox News that a drone hit the area, causing some minor injuries to U.S. and coalition staff. On Saturday, Biden responded to the show of strength by begging Iran to stop. “Don’t,” the leader of the free world said.
Benham Ben Taleblu, an expert on Iran, believes the country’s increased aggressive behavior in the Middle East is connected to the Biden administration’s failure to prevent Tehran from carrying out new attacks. He warns that these attacks will keep happening as long as the U.S. keeps accepting them from Iran-backed groups.
Taleblu noted that out of over 170 strikes, only ten were addressed with any show of force. The Iran expert explained that stopping attacks takes ongoing effort. He thinks the recent increase in attacks by militias might be part of Iran’s plan for revenge after the killing of a Hamas leader. Since this summer, the attacks have become more common in Iraq and Syria.
Iran’s allies in the Middle East are Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis. Over the years, Iran has used its money from oil and gas to spread its radical ideas to other countries in the Middle East and the West, including the U.S. U.S. intelligence has found that Iran has stirred up protests against Israel on college campuses, threatened to kill President Trump, and is interfering in U.S. presidential elections.
Since 1984, the U.S. government has labeled Iran as the world’s biggest supporter of terrorism. After radical Islamists took control in Tehran in 1979, they called America the “great Satan.” Iranian leaders and people often chant “Death to America” at events and in their parliament.
Since then, Iran has been behind attacks on American military personnel, including a February drone attack by a Tehran-backed militia in Iraq that killed three U.S. soldiers in Jordan.
Historically, the “don’t” strategy hasn’t worked well for the Biden administration. In March 2021, President Joe Biden addressed the surge of illegal immigration at the U.S. border by telling immigrants not to come. Vice President Kamala Harris echoed the “powerful” message, “Don’t come,” during a June 2021 visit to Mexico and Guatemala.
Since then, millions of illegal immigrants have ignored the Biden administration’s stern warnings and poured across the border, knowing nothing would be done to stop them.
Now, Biden has dusted off his sternest warning to stop Iranian actors from targeting U.S. military operations. “Don’t,” he said again.
Iran’s current president is Masoud Pezeshkian, who won the election in June 2024. However, the most influential person in Iran is Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has been in charge since 1989. The Supreme Leader controls the government, military, and courts.
And he hasn’t listened to “don’t” for over two decades. It’s unlikely Biden’s “don’t” will be the one to stop Khamenei, no matter how many times he says it.
