How Congress Can Help Trump Deter Iran
An invasion would be foolish, but Congress should give more support to the president’s pressure campaign.
Not seeking a war, says their leader.
Photographer: -/AFPApparently “Death to America” should be taken seriously but not literally. At least that’s the implication of the quote that Iran’s supreme leader gave to state media on Tuesday: “There won’t be any war,” said Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “We don’t seek a war.”
In light of recent events, this seems a bit weird. Last week, the U.S. announced the early deployment of an aircraft carrier and bomber task force to the Persian Gulf to deter what Acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan called a “credible threat by Iranian forces.” Over the weekend, the United Arab Emirates reported that four vessels in its territorial waters, including two Saudi tankers, were attacked by sabotage. So far, the Emiratis have not said the culprit was Iran. On Tuesday, Yemeni Houthi forces (who are aligned with Iran) launched a drone attack on two Saudi oil facilities.