Why did the US wait to retaliate for a deadly drone strike?

Retaliatory strikes against Iranian-backed militias have begun nearly a week after three U.S. soldiers were killed in a drone strike in Jordan. The attack had been expected for several days, during which the Biden administration faced questions and criticism from Republicans about the timing and force of the U.S. response. However, foreign policy experts believed this approach could allow Iran to withdraw personnel and potentially avoid a major conflict between the United States and Iran.  

Mick Mulroy, a former  assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East, told the BBC: "This will reduce the ability of Iranian-backed militias to attack American forces, but it will not strengthen them." “However, it is unlikely to be a deterrent to future attacks.” He said the ultimate benefit is avoiding a "direct war" between the United States and Iran.  The United States attacked the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)  and its affiliated militias in Iraq and Syria in seven locations. The bombers struck 85 separate targets,  

US defense officials said. "To anyone who might try to harm us, let us  know this. If you harm Americans, we will respond," President Joe Biden said. U.S. officials  blamed the Iranian-backed militia, the Iraqi Islamic Resistance Movement, for the attack in Jordan. The group is believed to be an umbrella group of  militias  armed, funded, and trained by Iran.  Iran denies involvement in the drone attack, which also injured 41 U.S. soldiers. Defense and security officials said the weather  made it difficult to mount an early counterattack and that Friday provided ideal conditions for the attack. The White House and Pentagon also repeatedly said  in the days leading up to the attack that they would avoid "telegraph operations," but experts say they are avoiding "telegraph operations," 

with the ultimate intention of averting a major war with Iran. I believe I did exactly that. Hussein Ibish, a researcher at the Arabian and Gulf States Institute in Washington, said the delay appeared to be because the United States had signaled "something Iran would not  do, which is attack inside Iran."

Continue Reading...