Choose U.S. Strength Over Weakness on Iran

By Robert Wexler and Ron Klein

When we served in Congress, the security of America and Israel was our primary focus. We are convinced that a muscular foreign policy designed to confront and isolate Iran is the key to safeguarding America and Israel and ensuring regional stability. Kamala Harris is the presidential candidate who will implement that policy.

Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis are Iranian proxies. To stop them we must defeat Iran. Otherwise, the Middle East will be constantly engaged in or on the precipice of armed conflict, which will adversely affect the United States militarily, economically, and diplomatically. Israel can deal significant setbacks to Iran’s proxies, but it cannot be expected to defeat Iran by itself.

Kamala Harris recognizes this reality. She said on Sunday that Iran is America’s greatest adversary. Her administration has twice shown us the blueprint for defeating Iran: a regional security wall around Iran built on U.S.-led alliances with Israel, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, our Gulf partners, and other allies. By implementing an American security umbrella, the administration successfully defended Israel from Iranian missile attacks on April 13 and October 1. This success and U.S. strength came not by going it alone, but by coalition building and purposeful military coordination.

Defeating Iran requires strong diplomacy backed by a willingness to use military force against Iran, which is the opposite of Donald Trump’s isolationist foreign policy. It often seems like too much of the world lines up against Israel. An America that retreats into isolationism will accelerate this dangerous trend and leave Israel to fend for itself.

The best way to ensure that Israel does not stand alone is to work with our allies in the Middle East and Europe against our common number one enemy, Iran. The Biden-Harris administration proved on April 13 and October 1 that if the U.S. leads with strength, other countries — including some thought to be hostile toward Israel — will follow our lead.

Without a shred of evidence to support their claim, Trump’s supporters claim that we can somehow implement his isolationist foreign policy but make an exception for Israel. JD Vance, also an isolationist, thinks this is possible. It doesn’t work that way. Not in the real world.

If we handcuff NATO, if we surrender Ukraine to the Russians, if we pull out of international agreements — the Trump plan — why should any country trust us on anything? Diplomacy and engagement are not tools that you can turn on and off like a spigot.

Only through a policy of international engagement can we continue to build the alliances and the trust needed to defend Israel. Moreover, even if Trump did make an exception for Israel, resentment toward Israel would grow in the United States as people questioned why we were supporting Israel but not Ukraine, Taiwan, or our other allies.

But Trump has signaled that he will not make exceptions for Israel. He wants to turn foreign aid grants into loans, with no exception for Israel. Last month, he suggested lifting sanctions on Iran despite Iran’s malign activities in the region. What message does that send? Weakness. Nothing but weakness.

In September 2019, Iran’s proxies attacked Saudi oil infrastructure, jeopardizing the global economy. Trump abandoned our ally and failed to respond. The lesson for our Middle East allies was that America cannot be relied upon.

Then, in response to the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in January 2020, Iran launched ballistic missiles against U.S. troops in Iraq. Trump callously referred to the traumatic brain injuries suffered by dozens of American servicemembers as “headaches” — and failed to act, this time failing to defend our own troops. Trump repeated his false claim about headaches earlier this month. Trump’s Defense Secretary said that Trump’s statement was “obviously not accurate.”

The greatest threat to America and Israel would be a nuclear-armed Iran. When Trump entered office, Iran was more than a year away from the capability of producing enough weapons-grade material for a bomb. When Trump left office, Iran was weeks away or less. By any measure, that is a failed Iran policy.

Isolationism is retreat. Isolationism is appeasement. We know, based on briefings during our time in Congress and what we have observed since then, that international engagement is in America’s self-interest. When the United States withdraws, bad actors fill the vacuum. If we are not actively engaged, Russia, China, and Iran will be only too happy to jump in.

Trump’s “America First” dogma may sound appealing to some, but isolationism will reduce our effectiveness and leverage abroad. A muscular foreign policy means taking the lead in building alliances and achieving foreign policy outcomes consistent with our best interests. Only Kamala Harris understands and supports the strong foreign policy necessary to defeat Iran and protect U.S. interests at home and abroad — as well as Israel — which is why we unequivocally endorse her for president.

Robert Wexler and Ron Klein are former Members of Congress from Florida who served on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.