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President Trump’s Iran Attack Did Not Increase Deterrence on the World Stage

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attend a documents signing ceremony in Moscow, Russia, Jan. 17, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/Pool

The US strike on Iran was a surprising military and political development. It went completely against President Trump’s long held beliefs and publicly declared intentions about staying out of international conflict — even if it made good on his promise to stop Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

It is still too early to ascertain whether the action achieved its immediate goal — the destruction of or a substantial delay in Iran’s nuclear program — and it will take months, or perhaps even longer, to confirm the results one way or another.

There was, however, another dimension to the US’ decision to attack Iran. Iran is just one participant in the “Revanchist” coalition, consisting of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, that is challenging American world hegemony. The strike, intent on physically destroying Iranian infrastructure, was meant to send a clear and unequivocal message to other coalition members as well: the US was back as a power player, ready to exercise its strength to preserve its power and achieve its strategic goals. Did the message reach the addressees and did the recipients read it correctly?

The strikes delivered by the US against Iran’s nuclear sites were carefully calibrated and extremely cautious. The bravado coming from the White House and the Department of Defense is artfully obfuscating this uncomfortable fact — yet Beijing and Moscow were paying attention. The US may not be a “Paper Tiger” as some have suggested, but neither is it a crazy beast many American officials try to portray the country as after the attack.

The strike generated no deterrence vis-a-vis Russia. In the weeks that followed, Russia has dramatically intensified its air attacks against Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, and has increased the pressure along the entire front in Eastern and Southern Ukraine as part of its well advertised summer offensive.

A serious phone conversation between President Trump and Putin produced zero results, leading President Trump to finally admit in public that his Russian counterpart does not desire peace.

It is absolutely clear that American strikes in Iran have not changed Russia’s strategic calculus in Ukraine or towards the US. Putin still thinks he holds all the cards.

The strike, however, did produce a visible negative consequence for Russia. It exposed Russia’s limitations as a global power. After much noise about the friendship with Iran, and Russia being the main buyer of Iranian drones and ballistic missiles, Russia did absolutely nothing to defend its ally or minimize the damage from the war. Russia looked absolutely helpless as Israel decimated Iran and then the US delivered its bunker busters at the nuclear sites. Short of a few sentences of criticism directed at the US (and Israel) and of encouragement to Iran, Russia provided no help at all. That military and political impotence has not escaped the attention of Russia’s “friends” in Africa and Latin America. And the rest of the world took notice as well.

Nor does China seem bothered by America’s show of power. Its support of Russia has not changed. As recently as last week, its foreign minister, during the meeting with the EU officials, admitted that China cannot afford letting Russia lose its war in Ukraine. China’s negotiating position as it pertains to the tariffs has not changed since the strike. Its military build up continues and the threats against Taiwan grow more ominous by day.

If the strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities had more broad strategic goals, then that part of the mission turned out to be a failure. Iran’s nuclear program has suffered a setback — though it is unclear how severe and for how long. So far the strikes have not led to any political resolution or even more productive negotiations with Iran. And even though President Trump has proved he is not afraid to act, America’s foes are still not considering his newly acquired aggressiveness to be a threat to their nefarious designs.

The author lives and works in Silicon Valley, California. He is a founding member of San Francisco Voice for Israel.

The post President Trump’s Iran Attack Did Not Increase Deterrence on the World Stage first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Report: IDF Probes Whether Houthis Used Iranian Cluster Bomb-Bearing Missile

Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi addresses followers via a video link at the al-Shaab Mosque, formerly al-Saleh Mosque, in Sanaa, Yemen, Feb. 6, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah

i24 NewsThe Israeli military said Saturday it launched a probe into the failure of its defenses to fully intercept a missile launched by Yemen’s Houthi jihadists, parts of which struck not far from the Ben Gurion airport on Friday night.

According to the Ynet website, one of the hypotheses being examined is that the projectile contained cluster munitions, similar to those used by Iran to fire at Israeli cities during the 12-day war in June. Cluster munitions pose a challenge to interceptors as they disperse smaller explosives over a wide area.

In June, Iran fired several missiles carrying scattered small bombs with the aim of increasing civilian casualties.

The IDF said on Saturday that its initial review suggests the ballistic missile from Yemen likely fragmented in mid-air. Five interceptors from various systems engaged with the missile, including THAAD, Arrow, David Sling & Iron Dome.

Authorities said that shrapnel impacted a house in the central Israeli moshav of Ginaton, yet no one was hurt, with the fragment landing in the house’s backyard.

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Iran Forces Kill Six Militants, IRNA Reports, Israel Link Seen

The Iranian flag is seen flying over a street in Tehran, Iran, Feb. 3, 2023. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

Iranian security forces shot dead six militants in a clash in southeastern Iran on Saturday, a day after armed rebels killed five police officers in the restive region, the official news agency IRNA reported.

IRNA said evidence showed the group was linked to Israel and may have been trained by Israel‘s Mossad spy agency. There was no immediate Israeli reaction to the allegation.

Another two members of the militant group were arrested, the report said. All but one of the militants were foreign, it added, without giving their nationality.

Iranian police said this month they had arrested as many as 21,000 suspects during the 12-day war with Israel in June.

Iran’s southeast has been the scene of sporadic clashes between security forces and armed groups, including Sunni militants and separatists who say they are fighting for greater rights and autonomy.

Tehran says some of them have ties to foreign powers and are involved in cross-border smuggling and insurgency.

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Benny Gantz Urges Time-Limited National Unity Government to Further Chances of Hostage Deal

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz attends his party’s meeting at the Knesset, Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, June 27, 2022. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun

i24 NewsBlue and White Party leader Benny Gantz on Saturday called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition politicians to form a temporary national unity government to further the chances of bringing home the hostages held in Gaza.

Addressing Netanyahu, Yair Lapid and Avigdor Liberman, Gantz said that the proposed government’s two supreme priorities would be the release of Israeli hostages held by the jihadists of Hamas and instituting universal conscription in Israel by ending the exemption from military service enjoyed by the ultra-Orthodox.

Upon attainment of the goals, the government would dissolve and call an election.

“The government’s term will begin with a hostage deal that brings everyone home,” Gantz said in a video address. “Within weeks, we will formulate an enlistment outline that would see our ultra-Orthodox brethren drafted to the military and ease the burden on those already serving. Finally, we will announce an agreed-upon election date in the spring of 2026 and pass a law to dissolve the Knesset [Israeli parliament] accordingly. This is what’s right for Israel.”

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