{"id":42626,"date":"2022-02-04T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-04T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2022\/02\/04\/heres-how-the-us-can-reestablish-a-measure-of-deterrence-against-iran\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:39:03","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:39:03","slug":"heres-how-the-us-can-reestablish-a-measure-of-deterrence-against-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/commentary\/2022\/02\/04\/heres-how-the-us-can-reestablish-a-measure-of-deterrence-against-iran\/","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s how the US can reestablish a measure of deterrence against Iran"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For the third time in two weeks, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen on Monday attacked the United Arab Emirates with ballistic missiles<\/a> \u2014 this time during the first-ever visit by an Israeli president. On Wednesday, three drones claimed by a pro-Iran militia in Iraq<\/a> targeted the country. Combined, these strikes<\/a> mark a major escalation in Iran\u2019s increasingly brazen campaign to attack the United States and its Middle Eastern partners. President Joe Biden urgently needs to realize that his yearlong strategy<\/a> of accommodation and restraint toward Iran has failed, producing not the compromise and de-escalation he hoped for, but rather its polar opposite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both Monday\u2019s ballistic missile attack and Wednesday\u2019s drone attack were reportedly intercepted. A week ago, U.S.-operated Patriot air defense batteries destroyed two missiles<\/a> that targeted a base in Abu Dhabi where 2,000 American troops are stationed. A Houthi strike on Jan. 17 was far larger<\/a>, including both missiles and drones. An American-made Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system intercepted at least two of the missiles<\/a> \u2014 the system\u2019s first recorded operational use \u2014 while several projectiles got through, resulting in three civilian deaths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The escalation against the UAE is not an isolated event. Militias financed and armed by Iran\u2019s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, have dramatically escalated their attacks<\/a> across the region over the last year. According to data collected<\/a> by the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, in the first year of Biden\u2019s presidency, Iran\u2019s regional proxies fired more than 600 projectiles at U.S. personnel and partner nations. That compares to less than 250 fired in 2020, President Donald Trump\u2019s last year in office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If anything, the pace is only accelerating in 2022 with over 85 attacks launched in the first weeks of the new year. Deterrence looks to be in freefall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JINSA\u2019s data also highlights the growing threat posed by IRGC-supplied drones. In 2020, drones accounted for less than 20% of the munitions Iran-backed groups fired at the United States and its friends in Iraq, Syria and Saudi Arabia. In 2021, that figure skyrocketed to 65%, including high-risk attacks against a commercial ship in the Arabian Sea, killing two; against a U.S. special forces base in Tanf, Syria; and in an assassination attempt against Iraq\u2019s prime minister. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the attacks continue against the UAE, the potential for disaster is real. An estimated 65,000 U.S. citizens live there<\/a>, including thousands of U.S. troops. Moreover, the Emirates are one of the world economy\u2019s most important transit, energy and financial hubs. Several well-placed drones or missiles striking the heart of Dubai\u2019s commercial center would have global reverberations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The United States should urgently take the following steps to reestablish some measure of deterrence against Iran and bolster regional defenses: <\/p>\n\n\n\n