Iran Must Pay

From the outset of an Iran-sponsored campaign of militancy and terrorism across the Middle East that began on October 7, 2023, the Biden administration communicated that it was more afraid of acknowledging the existence of a “wider, protracted regional conflict” than letting it harm us. The administration met attacks on U.S. forces and interests in the region with bizarre indifference. When it responded to direct acts of aggression, it did so belatedly and in tailored ways that conveyed only the degree to which the president was self-deterred. Observers feared that Joe Biden’s complacency in the face of Iran’s reckless provocations would end up getting Americans killed. And that is what has happened.

On Sunday, Iranian proxy forces launched a one-way drone attack on a U.S. position in Jordan just across the Syrian border. The strike killed three U.S. service personnel and wounded at least 34 more. Media outlets described the attack on the Tower 22 outpost as a “significant escalation” in the hostilities that have been ongoing in the region since Hamas’s 10/7 massacre. It may be an escalation, but it is no surprise.