Illustrative image. (The U.S. Central Command)
National security adviser Jake Sullivan on February 4 did not rule out the possibility of the United States launching strikes inside Iran.
The U.S. carried out on February 2 strikes against targets of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its affiliates in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for a drone strike that killed three American soldiers and wounded more than 40 others at a base in Jordan last weekend.
And on February 3, the U.S., joined by the United Kingdom, carried out dozens of strikes against the Iranian-backed Houthis (Ansar Allah) in Yemen in an attempt to stop the group’s repeated attacks on Israel-affiliated ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
During an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Sullivan was asked by moderator Kristen Welker about whether the U.S. has ruled out strikes inside Iran.
“Well, sitting here today on a national news program, I’m not going to get into what we’ve ruled in and ruled out from the point of view of military action,” he said. “What I will say is that the president is determined to respond forcefully to attacks on our people. The president also is not looking for a wider war in the Middle East.”
“But is it off the table? Are strikes inside Iran off the table?” Welker pressed.
“Again, Kristen, sitting here on television, it would not be wise for me to talk about what we’re ruling in and ruling out,” he replied.
When Welker asked one more time, “So you’re not ruling it out?” AND Sullivan answered, “I’ll just say the same thing one more time.”
“I’m not going to get into what’s on the table and off the table when it comes to the American response,” he continued.
Following the deadly drone strike on the base in Jordan, hawkish Republican officials in the U.S. openly called for direct strikes on Iran.
Responding to these calls, Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi said in a televised speech on February 2 that his country will “respond strongly” to anyone who bullies it.”
Tensions flared between the U.S. and Iran after the outbreak of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip. The war began with a surprise attack by Hamas, a close ally of Tehran, and later several other factions of the so-called Axis of Resistance joined in by attacking Israel or U.S. forces in the region.
Despite Sullivan’s remarks to NBC, the U.S. will not likely risk launching strikes against targets inside Iran. Tehran will certainly respond to any such attack, thus a dangerous war could break out in the Middle East. Both sides understand this threat.
