Joe Biden ‘is struggling to keep his head above water’ as US is challenged by Iran and Russia – ‘and China and North Korea are taking notes’, experts say as they warn inaction now ‘will cost American lives later’

Joe Biden is ‘struggling to keep his head above water’ as the US ‘ignores’ Iran’s threats and continues to be challenged by Russia – while North Korea and China ‘take notes’, experts warn.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards confirmed yesterday that their forces launched ballistic missiles near the US consulate in Erbil, northern Iraq – an action condemned as ‘reckless’ by the US State Department.

Former military intelligence officer Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Sweet and foreign policy expert Mark Toth labeled the US response “as perfunctory as it was lacking” and said it is just the latest example of the Biden administration’s inaction in the region.

Iran’s so-called “Axis of Resistance” – including Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi rebels – have stepped up their attacks on Israel and commercial shipping lanes, prompting the US and Britain to launch devastating air and sea attacks to launch into the sea.

But the experts told MailOnline: ‘For all the US military currently on display in the Middle East, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, Iran and its allies have not been deterred.’

Meanwhile, as the war in Ukraine approaches its third year, Vladimir Putin’s rhetoric has become more aggressive, threatening Ukraine’s sovereignty and warning that Russia would “never” give up the gains it has made.

With the prospect of becoming further involved in the war effort in Ukraine or a conflagration in the Middle East deeply unpopular among voters in an election year, Toth and Sweet say the White House is “taking the path of least resistance” and avoiding the inevitable.

“Neither Russia nor Iran has any intention of resigning,” Toth and Sweet said. ‘Kicking the can down the road only makes the problem worse. That’s the Biden dilemma: Pay the political costs of kinetic intervention now or later in American lives.”

They said the Biden administration is increasingly overwhelmed by ‘a trifecta of regional conflicts for which his National Security Strategy was not intended.”

The Biden administration has emphasized de-escalation as its main goal in the Middle East, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken making four trips to Israel and the wider region since war broke out following Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks.

Each time, Biden officials have been eager to emphasize their focus on de-escalation, to prevent the war between Israel and Hamas from spiraling into a broader conflict.

But as Hezbollah steps up its attacks from across Israel’s northern border, and Houthi rebels launch attacks on ships in the Red Sea, many analysts say it is too late and a regional conflict has already begun.

The US president said last week that the United States had delivered a private message to Iran about the Iranian-backed Houthis responsible for attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

“We delivered it privately and we feel confident that we are well prepared,” Biden told reporters in an apparent tone of voice.

With such strong words being repeated regularly, Toth and Sweet say that “Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Al Khamenei continues to call President Joe Biden’s bluff in the Middle East.”

“The Biden administration does not want a direct confrontation with Iran, but that appears to be the calculated direction that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is taking them.

“Khamenei continues to raise the bar – and the White House and Biden’s national security team continue to ignore it.”

The US is also pouring cold water on potential threats in the Far East after the election of William Lai in Taiwan angered China, whose incumbent president has called for independence.

In response, Biden bluntly reiterated the US position, saying “we do not support independence,” in an apparent attempt to avoid escalation and keep dialogue between Taipei and Beijing going.

Toth and Sweet described it as an attempt to “appease” Chinese President Xi Jinping, labeling his response as “self-defeating.”

Meanwhile in Europe, the governments of Estonia, Sweden and Britain have warned that the prospect of full-scale war is on the horizon.

Alarm bells have sounded over leaked German intelligence documents pointing the way to a war with Putin, using Belarus as a launching pad for an invasion.

At last night’s World Economic Forum, President Zelensky told Western leaders: “Strengthen our economy and we will strengthen your security.”

Biden’s efforts to deliver a $106 billion aid package to Kiev have been stalled by Republicans in Congress, and his administration says it is working to resolve it as quickly as possible.

But as the war with Russia continues and Ukrainian gains are limited, donor fatigue appears to be setting in among many policymakers.

After pulling off a landslide in the early Republican primaries this week, a return to the White House is looking increasingly likely for Donald Trump, whose past comments have fueled fears that he could cut funding for Ukraine.

“Domestic politics are going to come into play,” Toth and Sweet said, adding that “the White House appears to be on the path of least resistance in the presidential election.

“By doing so, Washington risks giving the impression that it is willing to throw its partners – and militaries deployed in the Middle East and East Africa – under the bus to avoid any direct military intervention for the next ten months ‘ they warned.

Zelensky and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are in the fight for the survival of their country – and not for some election cycle. Both are willing to go it alone without the US – Netanyahu told Biden as much about the threat.

Without American support, Ukraine and Israel could drag the US into the very wars Biden is trying to avoid.

“Biden is struggling to keep his head above water – and other foes, including China and North Korea, are taking notes.”