Biden On Iran: The United States Was “The Problem”

Did Biden Forget About Obama’s Record Of Silence And Failed Policies On Iran?
BIDEN BLAMES THE UNITED STATES FOR OBAMA’S FAILURE TO ENGAGE IRAN

Biden Told The Rabbinical Assembly That Before Obama, The U.S. Was The Problem. “When we took office, let me remind you, there was virtually no international pressure on Iran. We were the problem; we were diplomatically isolated in the world, in the region, in Europe.” (Vice President Joe Biden, Remarks At The Rabbinical Assembly Convention, Atlanta, GA, 5/8/12)

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DID BIDEN FORGET?

Iranian Weapons Killing U.S. Soldiers In Iraq And Afghanistan

“U.S. Military Commanders In Iraq Say Iranian-Made Weaponry Is Killing American Troops There At An Unprecedented Pace, Posing New Dangers To The Remaining Forces And Highlighting Tehran’s Intensifying Push To Gain Influence Over Post-U.S. Iraq.” (Yochi J. Dreazen, “Record Number Of U.S. Troops Killed By Iranian Weapons,”National Journal, 7/29/11)

• Iranian-Made Rockets, Anti-Vehicle Bombs, And Mortars Killed U.S. Troops In Iraq. “Military officials said six of the 14 dead troops were killed by so-called ‘explosively formed penetrators,’ or EFPs, a sophisticated roadside bomb capable of piercing through even the best-protected U.S. vehicles. Five other troops were killed earlier in the month when a barrage of rockets slammed into their base in Baghdad. It was the largest single-day U.S. loss of life since April 2009, when a truck bomb killed five soldiers. The remaining three troops killed in June died after a rocket known as an ‘improvised rocket-assisted mortar,’ or IRAM, landed in a remote U.S. outpost in southern Iraq. U.S. officials say the EFPs, rockets, and IRAMs all come from neighboring Iran. Tehran denies providing the weaponry to Shia militias operating in Iraq.” (Yochi J. Dreazen, “Record Number Of U.S. Troops Killed By Iranian Weapons,” National Journal, 7/29/11)

In 2012, General Allen “Specifically Noted” That Iranian Support To The Taliban Continues To Be A Threat To Stability In Afghanistan. “Allen also specifically noted Iranian aid to the Taliban, something that administration and military officials have played down in the past, and cited a continuing threat posed by al-Qaeda. ‘We know that Iran continues to support the insurgency and fuels the flames of violence,’ he said.” (Karen DeYoung, “Gen. Allen Says Afghan War ‘On Track’ Despite Violence, Setbacks,” The Washington Post , 3/20/12)

• Iran Has Supplied Rockets To The Taliban In Afghanistan That Double The Range At Which The Taliban Can Attack American Forces. “In Afghanistan, the Pentagon has in recent months traced to Iran the Taliban’s acquisition of rockets that give its fighters roughly double the range to attack North Atlantic Treaty Organization and U.S. targets . U.S. officials said the rockets’ markings, and the location of their discovery, give them a ‘high degree’ of confidence that they came from the Revolutionary Guard’s overseas unit, the Qods Force.” (Jay Solomon, “Iran Funnels New Weapons To Iraq And Afghanistan,” The Wall Street Journal, 7/2/11)
• “Iran Secretly Ordered Its Agents Operating Inside Afghanistan To Exploit The Anticipated Outrage” Over The Koran Burnings. “Just hours after it was revealed that American soldiers had burned Korans seized at an Afghan detention center in late February, Iran secretly ordered its agents operating inside Afghanistan to exploit the anticipated public outrage by trying to instigate violent protests in the capital, Kabul, and across the western part of the country, according to American officials.” (Thom Shanker, Eric Schmitt and Alissa Rubin, “U.S. Sees Iran In Bids To Stir Unrest In Afghanistan,” The New York Times, 4/4/12)

Iran Has Aided Our Enemies And Thwarted Our Objectives In The Middle East

Iran Has Worked To Foment Unrest In Afghanistan And Support The Assad Regime In Syria. “Iran has denied any government-backed effort to foment unrest in Afghanistan, but American officials see a pattern of malign meddling to increase Iran’s influence across the Middle East and South Asia. Iran appears to have increased its political outreach and arms shipments to rebels and other political figures in Yemen, and it is arming and advising the embattled government of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria.” (Thom Shanker, Eric Schmitt and Alissa Rubin, “U.S. Sees Iran in Bids To Stir Unrest In Afghanistan,” The New York Times, 4/4/12)

Iran Is “Helping Syria Import Fuel,” Allowing Assad To Continue His Brutal Repression Despite International Sanctions. “Russia and Iran are helping Syria import fuel which it needs for heavy vehicles including army tanks, allowing Damascus to avoid the full impact of tightening Western sanctions imposed over its violent suppression of dissent. Syria received regular shipments of Russian gasoil and diesel over the winter and, despite Moscow’s diplomatic support for demands that the government stop its attacks and pull back its forces, Russia sent another delivery this month.” (Jessica Donati and Julia Payne, “How Russia, Iran Keep Fuel Flowing To Syria,” Reuters, 4/26/12)

Obama Chose To Engage The Iranian Regime Instead Of Democratic Protestors In Iran

Obama’s Response To The “Green Revolution” Protests In Iran Was “Strained” In An Attempt To Maintain A Dialogue With The Iranian Government. “The result has been a gradually evolving message that at times has seemed strained, drawing some of the harshest criticism, especially from conservatives, since he took office. . . . Understanding clearly why Mr. Obama is still taking such pains to keep the door open to the Iranian government requires rewinding back to July 23, 2007, and Charleston, S.C. During a Democratic presidential debate at the Citadel, Mr. Obama and the other candidates were asked if, during their first year as president, they would be willing to meet without preconditions with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea. ‘I would,’ Mr. Obama replied.” (Helene Cooper, “Bit By Careful Bit, Obama Toughens Stance On Iran,” The New York Times, 6/24/09)

• Obama Chose To Do Nothing As “The Thugs Of The Islamic Republic Ruthlessly Crushed The Demonstrations.” “In each case, the president faced stark alternatives. He could try to catch the wave, Bismarck style, by lending his support to the youthful revolutionaries and trying to ride it in a direction advantageous to American interests. Or he could do nothing and let the forces of reaction prevail. In the case of Iran, he did nothing, and the thugs of the Islamic Republic ruthlessly crushed the demonstrations.” (Niall Ferguson, “Wanted: A Grand Strategy For America,” Newsweek , 2/14/11)

The Wall Street Journal : “Throughout This Turbulent Year In Iran, The White House Has Been Behind The Democratic Curve.” “Throughout this turbulent year in Iran, the White House has been behind the democratic curve. When the demonstrations started, Mr. Obama abdicated his moral authority by refusing to take sides, while pushing ahead with plans to negotiate a grand diplomatic bargain with Mr. Ahmadinejad that trades recognition for suspending the nuclear program.” (Editorial, “The Peoples’ Revolt in Iran,” The Wall Street Journal, 12/22/09)

DID BIDEN FORGET THAT OBAMA’S OUTREACH TO TEHRAN HAS REPEATEDLY FALLEN FLAT?

At The Beginning Of His Administration, Obama Reached Out To Iran On Their New Year In A Taped Message And Offered “A New Beginning.” “President Barack Obama reached out to Iran on Friday — the start of the Iranian New Year — in a video message offering ‘the promise of a new beginning’ that is ‘grounded in mutual respect.'” (“Obama Offers Iran ‘The Promise Of A New Beginning,'” CNN, 3/20/09)

• Iran Issued Their Response In The Form Of Long-Range Missile Tests. “Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced Wednesday that his country had successfully test-fired a medium-range solid-fuel missile apparently capable of striking Israel and U.S. bases in the Persian Gulf region.” (Thomas Erdbrink, “Iranian Missile Launch Confirmed; Ahmadinejad Ties Test To Nuclear Program,”The Washington Post, 5/21/09)

Secretary Clinton: “I Don’t Think Anyone Can Doubt That Our Outreach Has Produced Very Little In Terms Of Any Kind Of Positive Response From The Iranians.” “The Obama administration’s nearly yearlong effort to engage Iran has fallen short and new sanctions are needed to press the Iranian leadership to come clean about its suspect nuclear program, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said yesterday.’I don’t think anyone can doubt that our outreach has produced very little in terms of any kind of a positive response from the Iranians,’ she told reporters at a State Department news conference.”(Matthew Lee, “Clinton: Outreach To Iran Has Failed,” The Associated Press, 12/15/09)

The Wall Street Journal: “Maybe Now We Can All Agree That ‘Engagement’ With Iran Has Failed. So Where Does The Obama Administration Go From Here? It Seems To Be Moving On Multiple, Not Always Coherent, Fronts.” (Editorial, “Obama And Iran,” The Wall Street Journal, 2/19/10)

Obama’s Engagement Strategy Failed As Iran Developed Its Nuclear Program

The Wall Street Journal: Obama’s Policy Of Engagement Has Failed To Stop Iran’s Continuing Quest For Nuclear Weapons. “The regime scoffed at Mr. Obama after he delivered a conciliating message for the Persian New Year in March, scoffed again after he mildly criticized its post-election crackdown and killing spree in June (following days of silence), and scoffed a third time by rejecting the West’s offer last month to enrich Iran’s uranium for it. Yet the Administration insists the enrichment deal is still Iran’s for the taking.” (Editorial, “500,000 Iranian Centrifuges,” The Wall Street Journal, 11/29/09)

• Iran’s Nuclear Weapons Program Advanced Under Obama. “Iran has taken two more steps toward producing a nuclear weapon. According to a report released Friday by the International Atomic Energy Agency, it has begun to use a new, more advanced centrifuge to enrich uranium, which could allow it to produce bomb-grade material in a much shorter time period, should it choose to do so. It also has begun installing centrifuges in a facility dug into a mountain near the city of Qom, which could be nearly invulnerable to a U.S. or Israeli air attack.” (Editorial, “The Undimmed Danger Of Iran’s Nuclear Program,” The Washington Post , 9/6/11)

The Washington Post : “The Danger That Iran Will Become A Nuclear Power Is Growing, Not Diminishing.” “The report underlines the fact that, contrary to the impression often promoted by the Obama administration, the danger that Iran will become a nuclear power is growing, not diminishing.” (Editorial, “The Undimmed Danger Of Iran’s Nuclear Program,” The Washington Post , 9/6/11)

• In March 2012, The IAEA Expressed “Serious Concerns” About Iran’s Military Intentions. “Iran has tripled its monthly production of higher-grade enriched uranium and the U.N. nuclear watchdog has ‘serious concerns’ about possible military dimensions to Tehran’s atomic activities, the agency’s chief said on Monday.” (Fredrik Dahl, “IAEA Has ‘Serious Concerns’ As Iran Boosts Nuclear Work,”Reuters , 3/5/12)
• In 2011, The Bipartisan Policy Center Said That Iran’s Rate Of Enrichment Is Nearly Double What It Was In 2009. “Despite the loss of centrifuges, Iran’s rate of enrichment is nearly double what it was in 2009, according to a study by the Bipartisan Policy Center. The center estimates that, should Iran decide on a “breakout” strategy of rapidly producing the highly enriched uranium for a weapon, it could do so in as little as 62 days – and that by the end of next year that timeline could fall to 12 days, making it possible to produce the core material for a bomb between visits by international inspectors.” (Editorial, “The Undimmed Danger Of Iran’s Nuclear Program,” The Washington Post , 9/6/11)

For Over Three Years, Obama Refused To Take Strong Action Against Iran

Fearing Higher Oil Prices And “Political Trouble In An Election Year,” The Administration Has Resisted Taking Strong Action Against Iran’s Nuclear Program.“Officials fear that too powerful a blow to the world’s third-largest oil exporter could cause an oil price increase, damaging the global economic recovery, undermining international support for the sanctions campaign and creating political trouble in an election year.” (Paul Richter, “Obama Administration Takes Back Seat On Iran Sanctions,” Los Angeles Times, 2/17/12)

“The Administration Is Now Trying To Avoid The Appearance Of ‘Following From Behind.'” “As a result, the White House has had to scramble to keep up with the pace set by Congress and the Europeans. While critics have long accused Obama of ‘leading from behind’ by empowering other countries to carry out America’s bidding on world crises, the administration is now trying to avoid the appearance of ‘following from behind.'” (Paul Richter, “Obama Administration Takes Back Seat On Iran Sanctions,” Los Angeles Times, 2/17/12)

The Washington Post : “More Half-Measures From Obama Administration On Iran.”“The Obama Administration pledged that Iran would suffer painful consequences for plotting to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in Washington and for refusing to freeze its nuclear program. Key European allies and Congress – not to mention Israel – are ready for decisive action. But on Monday the administration unveiled another series of half-steps. Sanctions were toughened on Iran’s oil industry, but there was no move to block its exports. The Iranian banking system was designated ‘a primary money laundering concern,’ a step U.S. officials said could prompt banks and companies around the world to cease doing business with the country. But the administration declined to directly sanction the central bank.” (Editorial, “More Half-Measures From Obama Administration On Iran,” The Washington Post , 11/22/11)

• Biden National Security Adviser Antony Blinken Says U.S. Policy In Iran Is Based On “Buying Time And Continuing To Move This Problem Into The Future.” “U.S. policy on Iran is aimed at ‘buying time and continuing to move this problem into the future, and if you can do that – strange things can happen in the interim,’ Antony Blinken, National Security Adviser to Vice President Biden and Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, said on Monday. ‘You never know,’ Blinken added.” (Chemi Shalev, “U.S. Policy Aimed At ‘Buying Time’ With Iran, Says Senior Official,” Haaretz , 2/28/12)

• The Washington Post : “The Result Is That President Obama Is Not Even Leading From Behind On Iran; He Is Simply Behind.” “The result is that President Obama is not even leading from behind on Iran; he is simply behind. At the forefront of the Western effort to pressure Tehran is French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who issued a statement Monday calling on the European Union, the United States, Japan, Canada and ‘other willing countries’ to ‘immediately freeze the assets of Iran’s central bank’ and suspend purchases of Iranian oil.” (Editorial, “More Half-Measures From Obama Administration On Iran,” The Washington Post , 11/22/11)

Despite Obama Administration’s “Vows To Cripple Iran,” “It Is Leaders In Congress And Europe Who Have Seized The Lead In The West’s Long-Running Campaign To Punish Tehran For Its Suspected Nuclear Weapons Program.” “Despite the Obama administration’s vows to cripple Iran with economic sanctions, it is leaders in Congress and Europe who have seized the lead in the West’s long-running campaign to punish Tehran for its suspected nuclear weapons program. In recent months, the toughest moves to deter Iran from pursuing its presumed nuclear ambitions have come from a bipartisan group in Congress and European allies, especially Britain and France. The White House at first resisted these steps before embracing them as inevitable.” (Paul Richter, “Obama Administration Takes Back Seat On Iran Sanctions,” Los Angeles Times, 2/17/12)

• The Washington Post : Obama “Is Resisting Pressure From Allies Such As France And From Congress To Sanction The Iranian Central Bank,” Sending “The Wrong Signals To Iran.” “Though Mr. Obama boasted Thursday that his administration has orchestrated ‘the toughest sanctions that Iran has ever experienced,’ he is resisting pressure from allies such as France and from Congress to sanction the Iranian central bank. Last week the Senate passed 100-0 an amendment to the defense authorization bill that would sanction foreign banks that conduct transactions with the Iranian central bank, with an option for a postponement if the White House determines that the effect on the oil market would be too severe. The administration opposed the measure and is trying to narrow its scope in a conference committee.” (Editorial, “The Wrong Signals To Iran,” The Washington Post, 12/6/11)