The Houthi and Islamic Resistance of Iraq Attacks in the Middle East Spark Questions About the Biden Administration’s Intentions for War Against Iran

As I suggested previously in reference to an Egyptian intelligence warning, it now appears even more likely that the Israeli government had knowledge of an imminent attack on its territory and sat on the information and let the October 7 Hamas attack transpire as planned. In fact, the Israeli intelligence had a document outlining the exact battle plans and strategies of Hamas, and in addition, the terrorist group posted a video one month prior showing a simulation of how the attack would be carried out. While Hamas was destroying security cameras and flying drones overhead, two female “border spotters” (members of the military stationed near the Gaza border) were dismissed when they warned of what they saw. Is it possible that elements within the Israeli government (perhaps rogue ones) formulated the plans and shared them with Hamas and then “intercepted” them in a false flag event?

There are too many coincidences for this to have been an intelligence failure (see my previous analysis), and the Israeli government had motive for allowing the attack to occur. On top of wanting the removal of Gazans from the land (perhaps for the purposes of rerouting the potentially profitable Ben Gurion Canal or tapping into the oil reserves off the Gazan coast) and deflecting from political failures and protests at home (Netanyahu was on the verge of losing power but then magically had the ability to rally Israelis around bombing Gaza), blaming the Hamas terrorist attack on Iran potentially drags the United States into the war to eliminate Israel’s largest rival and enemy in the region.

Immediately after the Hamas attack, the Biden administration deployed the USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier groups to the Mediterranean Sea to intimidate Iran-backed militias and has ramped up its military presence in the region. The USS Carney, which is an American battleship deployed to the Red Sea, began intercepting multiple Israeli-bound missiles shot from the Houthi-controlled region of Yemen, and shortly after, the Iran-backed Houthis declared war against Israel. Ever since, the Houthis have been launching attacks on ships in the Red Sea, including firing two ballistic missiles at the USS Mason, which had been responding to the seizure of an Israeli-linked cargo vessel (the Central Park) by Somali pirates. The Biden administration has threatened “appropriate responses” in retaliation, because after all, the Red Sea and all international waters around the planet belong to the United States and need to be patrolled and defended accordingly.

This week, the Malaysian-originating but Norwegian-flagged Strinda, which was bound for Italy via the Suez Canal, was fired upon by Houthis in the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb, which connects the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen. Although the United States was not involved in this particular incident (France’s Languedoc frigate destroyed a drone that was targeting the Strinda), the American Empire will not let its commercial lanes and military routes be threatened.

During the most recent incident involving the United States, the USS Carney destroyed three Houthi drones that were targeting three commercial ships with crews from fourteen countries. The exact details of the attacks against the M/V Unity Explorer (Bahamian-flagged ship operated by the United Kingdom), M/V Number 9 (Panamanian-flagged ship operated by the United Kingdom and Bermuda), and M/V Sophie II (Panamanian-flagged ship) remain obscure. In any event, there is a de facto quasi-war taking place in the Red Sea, and although it has so far remained under control, the possibility of misfires or more serious attacks causing a full-scale war is always there. Expect to see the Biden administration ramp up its anti-Iranian rhetoric and potentially deploy more troops and equipment to the region. 

In addition to the drama on the high seas (this is turning into something like a pirate movie), American installations in Iraq and Syria (including Al-Harir Air Base and Al-Asad Air Base in Iraq and Al-Tanf Garrison in Syria) are being attacked by Iranian-supported groups, and according to the Pentagon, the number of such suicide and rocket attacks has been ninety-two since October 7 (sixty-one of those were within the first month). The most recent one (December 8) involved a rocket attack against the American embassy compound (yes, there is a 104-acre, luxurious, and tax-payer funded complex in Baghdad to house many diplomats and employees and contractors from various government agencies), and although there were no casualties or property damage, this will be used to add to the report card of incidents to build a case for invading Iran and increasing the presence in Iraq and Syria. Iranian-backed militias have promised more attacks in the upcoming days, especially after the United States initiated the only veto during a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war (if you need proof that both the Democratic and Republican Parties are on the same pro-war and military-industrial complex team, unconditional support for Israel and the lobby surrounding it are good places to look).

In the meantime, the United States military is striking back at the militias, and particularly the newly-dubbed Islamic Resistance of Iraq (supposedly a combination of Asaib Ahl al-Haq, the Badr Brigades, and Kataeb Hezbollah, or Hezbollah Brigades; and the evidence of being supported by Iran is assumed but never presented). From a drone attack on the Iraqi city of Kirkuk, which eliminated five militants, to fighter jets destroying Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (part of the Iranian armed forces) weapons and munitions and training sites near the Syrian cities of Al Boukamal, Maysulun, and Bulbul; President Biden is following in the footsteps of his predecessors and letting the drones and bombs fly in countries with which the United States is not officially at war with and has no business being in (securing Iraqi and Syrian oil is not a justified reason).      

Aside from the what should be an obvious question of why the United States still officially has 2,000 troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria is all but eliminated), Iraq takes advantage of its waiver from American economic sanctions to purchase Iranian electricity, but at the same time, the Iraqi dinar’s foreign reserves are held at the Federal Reserve and controlled by the United States government. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani has to appease both the United States and Iran and has spoken out against attacks targeting the United States and the American retaliatory actions, and the Biden administration (particularly Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Raytheon-beholden Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin) has threatened Al Sudani and Iraq with “harsh consequences” if the attacks do not subside.

The war hawks and pro-war politicians in the United States are ramping up their rhetoric to rally Americans around the possibility of invading Iran, erroneously arguing that the Biden administration gave Iran $6 billion to attack Americans and Israelis in exchange for prisoners. In reality, though, this was money that previous administrations had stolen from Tehran, and now, it is being unfrozen for humanitarian aid and monitored in a bank in Qatar (the money is still there and has not been used in the attacks against Israel or anyone else). The rhetoric of the United States handing out billions of dollars to Iran is a good talking point for those who want to justify going to war with Iran, but some of us would prefer thawing relations with the Persian nation and preventing catastrophic war that would kill millions of Americans and Iranians and potentially ignite a larger conflict.

As the Biden administration works hard to convince Americans that Iran is waging war against the United States and Israel through its proxies so that there can be justification for an increased presence in the Middle East and perhaps a full invasion of Iran, we must resist the propaganda and decline the offer to send American troops to die in another pointless war. If we rally around the flag in this new conflict, it could have consequences of epic proportions. Iran is not Iraq or Afghanistan. It has over one-quarter the population of the United States (at roughly 87 million) and a capable military force of 523,000 active duty personnel and 350,000 reservists (versus the United States’ 1,300,000 active duty and 800,000 reservists), and although the United States and Israel both have nuclear weapons, Iran could soon see its very own super deterrent in upcoming years or days (and would certainly need them if it keeps being threatened by a Washington invasion).

Plus, Russia and China are chomping at the bit to weaken the United States’ superpower status, and since the former would be eager to aid Iran in a war against the United States, we should think twice about engaging in such a conflict. The likes of Nikki Haley, Lindsey Graham, Joe Biden, and many other hawkish politicians want to send our children to go fight for their corporate interests (Haley was on the board of directors at Boeing, for example), while the rest of us suffer the consequences of their arrogance. We should not entertain their war with Iran or spend money that we do not have on a presence in the Middle East and funding to Saudi Arabia (to slaughter people in Yemen or contribute toward the 9-11 attacks) or Israel, which can defend itself with its extremely powerful military and does not need our taxpayer dollars to support its genocide against Gaza and the Palestinians.

Thank you for reading, and please check out my book, The Global Bully, and website.