US must do more to confront the Iranian regime
The US airstrikes against Iranbacked militia groups in Syria last week were an informed and welcome move by the White House, but they are definitely not adequate when it comes to confronting the Iranian regime and its widespread militia network. The airstrikes, which were authorized by President Joe Biden and destroyed several facilities in eastern Syria, were carried out in response to recent attacks by Iran-backed militias in Iraq. This military action will definitely send a signal to the Iranian regime that any attack on US bases or personnel will be swiftly dealt with.
When the Iranian leaders become cognizant of the fact there will be military consequences for their attacks on US entities, they will use more restraint. For example, when the theocratic establishment was extremely concerned that the Trump administration might launch an attack on Tehran in its final months in power, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei surprisingly ordered all factions of Iraqi armed groups to stop attacking US interests in Iraq.
In order to effectively confront the Iranian regime, the Biden administration should refrain from sending contradictory messages, such as mixing airstrikes on Iran-linked targets with advocating the revival of the 2015 nuclear agreement, which will lift sanctions against the regime and help billions of dollars flow into its treasury. Iran’s nuclear program must not be treated as separate from the regime’s malign behavior and support for terror groups in the Middle East.
Instead, the Biden administration must carry out a comprehensive policy toward the Iranian regime that includes, among other things,
Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, its regional interventions, assassinations and bomb plots in other countries, including in the West, its sponsorship of militia and terror groups across the region, and its egregious human rights violations. The ballistic missile program, which is a pillar of Iran’s foreign policy and is directly linked to the nuclear program, should be restricted and included as part of any new nuclear agreement.
In addition, the US must impose political and economic sanctions on the Iranian officials responsible for human rights violations, just as the Trump administration did with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is still designated a terrorist organization. Unfortunately, Biden and his administration have been silent in the wake of Iran’s recent shocking human rights violations, including the rising number of executions of those who oppose the theocratic establishment.
The Biden administration also needs to publicly announce its support for the Iranian people, particularly the youth, who want to have an inclusive and democratic government. Iran has a large youth population — at least 60 percent of its citizens are aged under 30 — and they are largely disaffected and dissatisfied with the current political establishment. The people want a democratic system of governance where the freedoms of speech, press and assembly are not suppressed. However, they feel they have been left alone, more than ever before, in their attempts to achieve their goal of self-determination.
Siding with the Iranian population also means parting from rewarding the regime with the nuclear deal and the lifting of sanctions, or having close political ties with Iranian leaders. The Biden administration cannot send a contradictory message to the Iranian people, just as the Obama administration did, by stating that it supports their cause while at the same time sitting at the table with Iran’s politicians, shaking hands and smiling. The Iranian people would view such an act as a betrayal.
Last week’s US military action against Iran-backed militias was a step in the right direction, but it is not enough: The Biden administration must do more to confront the predatory regime of Iran.
Texas’ power grid operator ousted chief executive Bill Magness on Wednesday, as the fallout continues from a deadly blackout last month that left residents without heat, power or water for days.
His departure followed fierce criticism by state lawmakers of the handling of the crisis by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which has led one large electricity provider to seek bankruptcy and put several others near to it.
The mid-February storm temporarily knocked out up to half the state’s generating plants, triggering outages that killed dozens and pushed power prices to 10 times the normal rate. “ERCOT’s decision to oust CEO Bill Magness signals accountability for the disaster that swept through our state two weeks ago,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement on Twitter.
“(This step) offers the opportunity for new leadership that can more efficiently prepare and direct our state’s resources when dangerous weather strikes,” he added.
Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, who earlier this week called for the heads of ERCOT and the Public Utility Commission to resign, also welcomed the move.
The legislature now can begin “fixing what went wrong,” Patrick said.
ERCOT said in a statement cited by multiple media organizations that its board had directed that Magness be given a 60 days’ termination notice. The board would begin an immediate search for a new CEO.
Magness worked at ERCOT for more than a decade and became its CEO and president in 2016 after working as its general counsel, the Texas Tribune newspaper reported.
Brad Jones, former head of New York’s power grid, is the leading candidate to replace Magness as ERCOT’s CEO, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the board’s thinking.
Magness was grilled for hours last week for leaving power prices at up to 450 times the usual rate after the threat to the state’s grid had ended.
Seven of ERCOT’s 15 directors have resigned in the last week and the head of the state’s Public Utility Commission, which supervised ERCOT, resigned on Monday.
The winter storm caused widespread blackouts across Texas, a state unaccustomed to extreme cold, knocking out power to more than 4 million people at its peak.