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Iran
US White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk speaks during the 17th IISS Manama Dialogue in the Bahraini capital Manama on November 21, 2021. Photo: Mazen Mahdi/AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The White House's top Middle East official said on Sunday that the United States is in the region to stay and will strengthen alliances with its partners. He warned that if Iran tests the US, Washington will respond “decisively,” including militarily.
“The United States is not going anywhere. This region is too important, too volatile, too interwoven with American interests to contemplate otherwise,” Brett McGurk, White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, said during the Manama Dialogue organized by UK-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
“So if tested, we will protect our people, including through the use of military force when necessary. And if we need to use force, we are prepared to do so, decisively. We are not going to be drawn into tit for tat exchange of fire with Iranian-backed proxy groups and they know it,” he said.
The Manama Dialogue, the Middle East’s premier defence summit, drew dozens of top security officials from the region and beyond including US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani.
American commitment to Iraq has been questioned since it withdrew from Afghanistan this summer and the Taliban took over. In Iraq, US forces invited to the country as part of the coalition to defeat the Islamic State group (ISIS) are shifting their mission to advising and assisting, formally ending their combat mission by the end of the year. Iranian-backed militias in Iraq have demanded a full withdrawal and are accused of at least 36 rocket and drone attacks on US interests in Iraq and Syria this year, according to data compiled by Rudaw English.
“Our approach to Iran, a declared adversary, is grounded in essential and tested principles of deterrence, diplomacy and de-escalation. Neither of which can work without the other,” McGurk said. “From the outset, in the Biden administration, we assume, based on experience and analysis, that the regime in Iran is an adversary and it will remain so for the foreseeable future. We fully support and welcome diplomacy to address discreet issues, reduce risk of miscalculation and find potential avenues for de-escalation wherever they exist.”
Israeli journalist Barak Ravid questioned McGurk about why Washington was not “decisive” in responding to Iran after the October 20 drone attack on al-Tanf US military base in southern Syria. McGurk responded: “These subjects you don’t always talk about in the open, and not every response is going to be on CNN when something is blowing up, so [to say] ‘we did not do anything’ is not accurate.”
The comments from McGurk came on the same day Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Naval Commander Alireza Tangsiri said that nine guards have been killed in direct combat with Americans in the Persian Gulf, without specifying when. “For some considerations, some of them [clashes] have not been made public,” Tangsiri was quoted by the IRGC-affiliated outlet Farsnews.
“In return for our nine martyrs in direct clashes with the Americans, we managed to hit them with nine long-lasting slaps and they now recognize the maritime authority of the Islamic Republic,” he said.
Tangsiri’s forces in the Persian Gulf were responsible for the downing of an RQ-4A Global Hawk surveillance drone in June 2019, which was described by the commander as a “crushing” response to US aggression.
McGurk also said that the US has taken note of diplomatic efforts between Tehran and Gulf countries and he is hopeful they might de-escalate tensions and reduce the risk of miscalculation. “But at the same time, we recognize that engagement must be pursued from the position of strength. And again make no mistake the United States will increase our efforts to strengthen the self-capacities of our partners in the Middle East to defend themselves and protect themselves, particularly against the threats of Iranian drones and missiles.”
As part of supporting its partners, McGurk said the US would continue to assist Iraqi security forces, including the Kurdish Peshmerga.
“The United States is not going anywhere. This region is too important, too volatile, too interwoven with American interests to contemplate otherwise,” Brett McGurk, White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, said during the Manama Dialogue organized by UK-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS).
“So if tested, we will protect our people, including through the use of military force when necessary. And if we need to use force, we are prepared to do so, decisively. We are not going to be drawn into tit for tat exchange of fire with Iranian-backed proxy groups and they know it,” he said.
The Manama Dialogue, the Middle East’s premier defence summit, drew dozens of top security officials from the region and beyond including US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani.
American commitment to Iraq has been questioned since it withdrew from Afghanistan this summer and the Taliban took over. In Iraq, US forces invited to the country as part of the coalition to defeat the Islamic State group (ISIS) are shifting their mission to advising and assisting, formally ending their combat mission by the end of the year. Iranian-backed militias in Iraq have demanded a full withdrawal and are accused of at least 36 rocket and drone attacks on US interests in Iraq and Syria this year, according to data compiled by Rudaw English.
“Our approach to Iran, a declared adversary, is grounded in essential and tested principles of deterrence, diplomacy and de-escalation. Neither of which can work without the other,” McGurk said. “From the outset, in the Biden administration, we assume, based on experience and analysis, that the regime in Iran is an adversary and it will remain so for the foreseeable future. We fully support and welcome diplomacy to address discreet issues, reduce risk of miscalculation and find potential avenues for de-escalation wherever they exist.”
Israeli journalist Barak Ravid questioned McGurk about why Washington was not “decisive” in responding to Iran after the October 20 drone attack on al-Tanf US military base in southern Syria. McGurk responded: “These subjects you don’t always talk about in the open, and not every response is going to be on CNN when something is blowing up, so [to say] ‘we did not do anything’ is not accurate.”
The comments from McGurk came on the same day Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Naval Commander Alireza Tangsiri said that nine guards have been killed in direct combat with Americans in the Persian Gulf, without specifying when. “For some considerations, some of them [clashes] have not been made public,” Tangsiri was quoted by the IRGC-affiliated outlet Farsnews.
“In return for our nine martyrs in direct clashes with the Americans, we managed to hit them with nine long-lasting slaps and they now recognize the maritime authority of the Islamic Republic,” he said.
Tangsiri’s forces in the Persian Gulf were responsible for the downing of an RQ-4A Global Hawk surveillance drone in June 2019, which was described by the commander as a “crushing” response to US aggression.
McGurk also said that the US has taken note of diplomatic efforts between Tehran and Gulf countries and he is hopeful they might de-escalate tensions and reduce the risk of miscalculation. “But at the same time, we recognize that engagement must be pursued from the position of strength. And again make no mistake the United States will increase our efforts to strengthen the self-capacities of our partners in the Middle East to defend themselves and protect themselves, particularly against the threats of Iranian drones and missiles.”
As part of supporting its partners, McGurk said the US would continue to assist Iraqi security forces, including the Kurdish Peshmerga.
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