Trump Has “Big Choices” With Iran (From FOX News)

The Houthi terror strikes are part of Iran’s last-ditch effort to fight U.S. dominance with terrorism against international shipping, American forward bases, and key infrastructure like data centers in the Gulf states.  FOX News Channel’s anchor Molly Line kicked off the discussion. Highlights below, and the show clip here.

Molly Line: President Trump says he is weighing a “massive attack” on Iran saying it would be bigger than ever before.  It looks like potentially a new front is opening up with the Saudi Arabian military attacking the Houthis in Yemen, particularly focusing on their naval assets, after one of their ships was hit.  Your thoughts on whether this conflict is expanding, and that we’re not particularly close to the exit door?

Rebecca Grant:  Well, I’ll tell you, all of this is possible because we have tremendous U.S. air dominance and sea dominance in that region.  And, of course, 50,000 U.S. forces there, including two aircraft carriers, the USS Tripoli, and all our land-based air power.  I’m glad to see the Saudis joining in.  This is a powerful message to Iran.  The Saudis have a very high-tech and very capable air force, and they can be a good partner in suppressing that Houthi threat.  I think President Trump has some big choices here, including the option to really continue to go hard after the IRGC, and that’s what I’d like to see.

Molly Line: As we all know, the Houthis are an Iranian proxy, and the IRGC has actually been moving weapons, drone technology, and other things into other areas for the Houthis to use. What do you make of the fact that they seem to be on board with expanding the conflict into the Red Sea to potentially further disrupt commercial shipping?

Rebecca Grant: This is a last-ditch attempt by Iran because they want to use that lever not only in the Persian Gulf but in the Red Sea. This is going to bring up a different diplomatic point, because we have a European naval operation going on in the Red Sea, Operation Aspides, commanded by a Greek admiral. They are there, they’ve been there for a couple years to try to help secure shipping.  Now the Houthis were hit very hard a year ago. I think their military capabilities are diminished, but make no mistake, we have enough naval and air forces there to handle any flare up with the Houthis, to keep that blockade, and to handle a target set within Iran itself, all the way up to Pickaxe Mountain if need be.

Molly Line: This administration has expressed some frustration that the Europeans aren’t playing a larger role when it comes to, for instance, securing the Strait of Hormuz and also just the broader backup as this conflict escalates.  Some of our allies have a lot of frustration right now, particularly as Iran strikes desalination plants, energy plants, and other targets. This is Iran now reaching out and striking a number of allies that have long been frustrated with the way they have acted in the region for many decades. Your thoughts, and if some of these additional partners may begin to play a bigger role?

Rebecca Grant: Yes, and particularly with the Gulf States, there’s two big issues here.  First of all, Iran is trying, as they’ve done in the past, to hit our U.S. forces and their barracks. That is a terrible thing to see and we’re defending against that.  The Gulf partners also have highly capable air defenses.  But the kind of scary lesson coming out here is the ability to use limited drone strikes and hit soft targets, like data centers.  We’ve seen Amazon and other high-tech data centers hit in the UAE and in Bahrain. That’s a lesson we need to take home as well, as we increase our ability to defend critical infrastructure targets.  There’s no question the whole Gulf is lined up with us against Iran, and that’s why this will be successful in the end. I mean, it really is Iran in its last-ditch efforts. They will fail in their efforts to try to terrorize the Strait, and the U.S. Navy will keep control in the Strait of Hormuz.