During a joint news conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Soltenberg on Monday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the US will hold Iran accountable and take firm action against any aggression. “At the same time, we remain focused on our core objectives in the region, both in terms of the conflict in Gaza and broader efforts to build truly durable peace and security,” Blinken stated.  According to Blinken, the Biden administration is determined to stop the situation from getting worse while also defending US soldiers from attacks. 

NATO’s Role

“I can again tell you that as the President said yesterday, we will respond and that response could be multi-leveled, come in stages, and be sustained over time,” added Blinken. According to Blinken, organizations linked to Iran have carried out assaults against US forces in both Iraq and Syria. Iran has also provided funding and equipment for these groups. 

According to Blinken, US personnel are not involved in the Gaza conflict; rather, they are stationed in Iraq and Syria to stop the resurgence of ISIS. According to Soltenberg, Iran is to blame for the instability of the whole area and the threat it poses to Middle Eastern peace and stability through its proxy organizations. “This underlines of course, also the risk of escalation, and therefore I welcome the efforts by the United States to address these risks,” Stoltenberg stated. Iran’s actions serve as a warning about the unpredictable and hazardous nature of a world without laws. a setting where the cost of our protection rises.”

Military Cooperation

The surprise attack on October 7, 2023, by Hamas against Israel was unexpected. The White House was expecting a process of mending ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia at the time of the Palestinian terrorist group’s attack, believing that there was no significant threat to Middle East stability. Nobody expected a second Arab-Israeli conflict. 

The government of President Joe Biden took some time to evaluate the circumstances before deciding on a geostrategic course of action. It then sketched the general contours of an American counterattack that would protect US interests while managing those of its regional allies, the Arab-Sunni nations and Israel. The US government believed that the crux of the situation stemmed from Hamas, a close ally of Tehran and a financial and militarily reliant on Tehran. The Palestinian terrorist organization had anticipated that the unexpected assault on Israel and the abduction of over 250 hostages would undermine its enemy’s capacity for deterrence and undermine the US initiative to restore relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel. 

Diplomatic Engagement

In light of this, Biden concluded that in order to prevent this kind of situation, the US needed to provide its ally a sense of security by offering military and diplomatic backing while it began an offensive intended to dismantle the Hamas political and military apparatus. Thus, in order to show support for Israel, Biden took a plane to that country. In an effort to prevent Iran and Hezbollah from launching an onslaught against Israel, Obama also sent two American aircraft carriers and Marine troops to the Middle East. 

The manner Israel has carried out military operations in Gaza, particularly the deployment of airstrikes that have killed hundreds of Palestinian people and destroyed entire communities, has also drawn criticism from the US administration. The majority of UN members, particularly those from the so-called Global South, denounced the Israeli strategy. Additionally, a few European nations voiced their concerns about Israel’s actions. Democratic politicians with a left slant, including Senator Bernie Sanders, also denounced Israel and urged the White House to put pressure on the Israeli government to move toward a ceasefire in Gaza. Those who maintain that they would not stop the battle until Hamas was destroyed have rejected the proposal.

The United States, Iran, and their various regional allies have been playing a sophisticated geostrategic chess match against the backdrop of the unfolding Gaza War. Every party has made an effort to affect the balance of power in the region while making sure that their actions wouldn’t lead to a full-scale conflict. By hitting Israel and obstructing its efforts to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia, Iran appeared to have gained some advantage in the opening round of the competition. As a result, it diminished America’s strategic standing in the Middle East.

In response, the US launched a counteroffensive with the goal of preventing Iran and its allies from harming Israel.