National security adviser Jake Sullivan pledges ‘more measures’ against Iran-backed terrorists in the Middle East.
On Sunday, national security advisor Jake Sullivan declined to rule out U.S. strikes inside Iran while saying that President Biden is “not looking to get into a war” in the Middle East.
Sullivan appeared on Sunday shows on CNN, ABC, and NBC, just days after the United States and the United Kingdom launched a massive airstrike campaign against Iran-backed Houthi rebels on Friday in retaliation for the deaths of three US service members and the injuries of more than 40 others in Jordan near the Syrian border.
“The president has tackled this with a basic principle: the United States will step up and respond when our forces are attacked. Furthermore, the United States does not intend to escalate the Middle East conflict. We do not intend to take the United States to war. So we will continue to pursue a policy that goes down both of those lines at the same time, that responds with force and clarity, as we did on Friday night, but also that adheres to an approach that does not draw the United States into a war, as we have seen far too often in the Middle East,” Sullivan told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union.”
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Sullivan promised “further action,” but said he would avoid telegraphing the United States’ moves in the fight.
“Inside Iran?” Would you rule that out at this stage?” Bash asked.
“Look, sitting on a national television program, I’m not going to rule in or rule out any behavior. What I’m going to say is that the president will do what he believes is necessary, and he will reiterate that he will defend our forces while simultaneously stating that he does not want to go to war,” Sullivan added.
Bash cited Republican complaints that the Biden administration should have responded before the three US losses, noting that there have been more than 150 strikes on US forces since Hamas’ Oct. 7 onslaught on southern Israel.
“We reacted numerous times before to the awful events of a few days ago. “We have struck targets in Iraq and Syria,” Sullivan stated. “We have targeted IRGC and militia-linked facilities in Iraq and Syria. We killed a militia leader in Iraq. So the assumption that we haven’t reacted is simply wrong.
The second point I’d make is that I didn’t hear these same voices, which to me sound primarily like political voices, stating so when these same militias tragically slew American service members under the previous administration. This is a very difficult subject. It has been for every president over the last two decades, and each president has attempted to defend American forces.”
Iran, meanwhile, issued a warning to the United States on Sunday about potentially targeting two cargo ships in the Middle East, the Behshad and Saviz, which have long been suspected of serving as a forwarding operating base for Iranian commandos, signaling Tehran’s growing concern over recent US strikes in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen targeting Islamic Republic-backed militias.
During an appearance on ABC’s “This Week,” Sullivan noted that “the central purpose of the strikes has been to take away capabilities from the Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria that are attacking our forces, and from the Houthis that continue to threaten Red Sea shipping, and we believe they had good effect in reducing degrading the capabilities of the militias and of the Houthis.”
“This marked the beginning of our counterattack. “There will be additional steps,” Sullivan told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. “Some of those efforts will be visible, while others may not, but greater action will be taken in response to the unfortunate death of three brave US service members. We cannot rule out more strikes by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria, as well as the Houthis. We must be clear-eyed about it. And the president, being clear about this, has informed his military chiefs that they must also be prepared to respond to future attacks.”
Sullivan, speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” also addressed criticism from House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who claims Biden’s administration is appeasing Iran.
“I find it strange. Before we were attacked in Tower 22 in Jordan and our courageous service members were sadly slain, the president made it plain that if we were attacked, we would retaliate,” Sullivan added. “So Iran and its militia groups were aware that the US was likely to respond. We believe that such strikes had positive consequences. So, of course, there will always be armchair quarterbacks, but we are confident in the measures we have done thus far and the path we are taking going forward.”
Sullivan, speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” also addressed criticism from House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who claims Biden’s administration is appeasing Iran.
“I find it strange. Before we were attacked in Tower 22 in Jordan and our courageous service members were sadly slain, the president made it plain that if we were attacked, we would retaliate,” Sullivan added. “So Iran and its militia groups were aware that the US was likely to respond. We believe that such strikes had positive consequences. So, of course, there will always be armchair quarterbacks, but we are confident in the measures we have done thus far and the path we are taking going forward.”
