How would the US handle a nuclear Iran?
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Ali Khamenei, supreme leader of Iran, has had a bad week. Elon Musk’s X suspended his new Hebrew-language account, and the Israel Defense Forces unleashed a devastating series of air raids against his country’s military infrastructure.
Given the disparity between Iran’s capabilities and Israel’s, the beleaguered ayatollah doesn’t have many good options for a counterstrike. Israel’s prime minister, on the other hand, has had a good week. Benjamin Netanyahu pleased both his American and Gulf Arab allies by refraining from attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites and oil refineries.
But deterrence was restored. Israeli warplanes didn’t only cripple Iran’s air-defense systems and inflict painful blows on its missile-producing facilities. They also sent a message that Israel knows where Tehran’s strategic vulnerabilities are, and it can destroy them any time it wants.
After a tough year, Team Biden can breathe a sigh of relief. The American elections won’t take place against the backdrop of a global energy crisis or U.S. engagement in a Middle East war.
The strikes underlined a key point about the Middle East power balance that has been true since the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Military forces that have access to American military technology and intelligence-gathering capabilities can wipe the floor with militaries that rely on Moscow. Russian military equipment has its uses, but American technology remains the gold standard in the world of defense—even more so for a country such as Israel that has significant intelligence and technological capabilities.
Read more on livemint.com
