The Biden administration is now warning that the Middle East is experiencing historic levels of danger after recently claiming that the region was more peaceful than it had been in decades.

White House National Security Council Advisor Jake Sullivan boasted in October that, under President Joe Biden, the Middle East was “quieter than it has been for decades.” Less than half a year later – with a surge of regional conflicts – State Department Secretary Antony Blinken warned on Monday that the Middle East is “incredibly volatile” and facing dangers not seen in decades.

“I think it’s very important to note that this is an incredibly volatile time in the Middle East.  I would argue that we’ve not seen a situation as dangerous as the one we’re facing now across the region since at least 1973, and arguably even before that,” Blinken said during a press conference on Monday. “And that is the environment in which we’re operating, and of course that was triggered by the horrific attacks of Oct. 7 by Hamas against innocent men, women, and children.”

However, Sullivan claimed days before the Hamas terrorist attacks and ensuing chaos in the Middle East that the region was “quieter than it has been for decades,” and said that Biden’s policies were “bearing fruit.”

“The progress is fragile, to be sure. But it is also not an accident. At a meeting in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, last year, the president set forth his policy for the Middle East in an address to the leaders of members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan,” Sullivan wrote in an essay in October.

“His approach returns discipline to U.S. policy,” Sullivan wrote. “It emphasizes deterring aggression, de-escalating conflicts, and integrating the region through joint infrastructure projects and new partnerships, including between Israel and its Arab neighbors. And it is bearing fruit.”

After the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, the online version Sullivan’s essay was edited to remove certain sections.

“The original version of this article emphasized that this progress was fragile and that perennial challenges remained, including tensions between Israel and Palestinians and the threat posed by Iran. The October 7 attacks have cast a shadow over the entire regional picture, the repercussions of which are still playing out, including the risk of significant regional escalation,” Sullivan wrote in the edited version of his essay.

“There was material progress,” Sullivan wrote. “Conflicts had cooled.”

 

Hamas launched terrorist attacks against Israel on Oct. 7, killing over 1,200 civilians and kidnapping hundreds of others, many of whom are still being held captive in poor conditions. Islamic terror groups throughout the Middle East began instigating their own attacks against Israel after Oct. 7 in support of Hamas.

These groups have also started attacking U.S. and Western allied forces in the Middle East on an almost daily basis. In one of the most recent developments on Sunday, three U.S. service members were killed in a drone attack launched by a terror group backed by Iran, a radicalized country masterminding and funding over a dozen similar organizations throughout the region.

“[These groups] are supported by Iran, funded by Iran [and] equipped by Iran,” Blinken said on Monday. “And as I mentioned, we do not seek conflict with Iran, we do not seek war with Iran, but we have and we will continue to defend our personnel and to take every action necessary to do that, including responding very vigorously to the attack that just took place (referring to the drone attack on Sunday).”

The Biden administration has quietly eased up on oil sanctions against Iran that allowed the country to rake in billions in revenue that could be put toward funding its terror proxies. The administration has also been criticized for taking a publicly passive stance against Iran, including freeing up $6 billion for the country in exchange for five unjustly imprisoned American citizens.

The U.S. in December set up a coalition force in the Middle East region to deter aggression from Iranian-backed terrorist groups – specifically the Houthis, who are conducting attacks on a key trade route in the region – but by Biden’s own admission, this plan has not been incredibly effective.

The White House and State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Jake Smith on January 30, 2024