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Three months after the outbreak of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the United States did not dare to come down in person in the face of Israel's "request for help."
Recently, as one of the spillover effects of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the security of international shipping near the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea has raised a lot of concern.
On 18 December last year, after the United States "forcefully" formed an international escort team called the "Prosperity Guardian," many people believed that the United States would be able to stabilize the situation with a thunderous force.
However, what no one expected, the end result was a big surpriseIran dispatched only one destroyer to discourage the U.S. aircraft carrier battle group.
Even those who believe in the strength of the United States can see this scene, and I am afraid that they will be a little nervous"What is the United States afraid of? ”
If you want to figure out all this, you have to start talking about Iran and his "little friends".
"Violence" is no solution
There is no doubt that in today's Middle East world, Iran is definitely the most backbone country, although the country is not as rich as those neighbors nearby, but it has always rushed to the "front line" in the matter of "anti-American".
Take the "Red Sea crisis" as an example, the United States must have made up its mind to solve the problem at the beginning.
Whether it is to draw Britain, France, Italy, and other countries into a joint fleet in the front, or to directly pull the "Eisenhower" aircraft carrier battle group to the Red Sea in the back, judging from the posture alone, I am afraid that no one will not feel panicked.
However, Iran is stubbornly carrying this pressure and resolutely dispatches destroyers to show its attitude to the United States and "stop" it at its own doorstep.
Iran's actions, while gaining the attention of the whole world, have also raised a question for many people: Why does Iran dare to confront the United States despite the disparity in strength?
In fact, as long as you understand what the United States has done in the Middle East in the past, you will naturally understand Iran's choice
"Violence" is often the way to go!
Looking at the "little partners" around Iran today, the Houthis, Hamas, Allah, Syria, etc., they all have a very significant common characteristic, that is, they have been deeply affected by US hegemonism.
Now many people are surprised that Hamas has been able to show such courageBut in fact, even if they "coax" them, the United States and its allies will not leave them any way out.
The same is true of the Yemeni Houthis, which stirred up the "Red Sea crisis" this time, which was recognized as a "terrorist organization" by the United Nations in 2022, and has long been hated by the United States.
However, the Americans obviously will not admit that the Houthis themselves have "made great contributions" to the fact that they have been able to develop to the scale they are today.
Professor Li Yanan, deputy director of the Institute of Middle East Studies at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, said that the development of the Houthis has been accompanied by factors such as US military intervention in the Middle East and the failure of Western "democratic reforms" in the Middle East.
Therefore, from this point of view, what the United States is experiencing on the Red Sea today is completely self-inflicted.
Iran's Raisi once said frankly in an interview: "To this day, we still can't trust the United States."
In fact, this sentence is not only Raisi's personal opinion, but also the consensus of the entire Iranian society.
For example, the "Iran nuclear deal" reached in 2015, which took ten years to reach, was unilaterally torn up by the United States just three years later, and then immediately exerted "maximum pressure" on Iran, bringing great harm to Iran's economy and people's livelihood.
And there are many more such unpleasant pasts, and together they have made Iran realize one thing, and that is:"Compromise" cannot be respected by the United States, and only "active security" of "seeking peace with strength" is the only way Iran can take.
Thus, there is Iran's "toughness" today.
"Self-improvement" is the foundation of fearlessness
As the saying goes, "Weakness is the greatest original sin".
Although Iran, which has been cornered, "dares" to harden the United States, whether it can compete with the United States is another matter.
If Iran's own strength is not enough, then even if it has backbone, it will only be a car in front of the United States, and it will not measure its own strength.
Therefore, Iran's own "strength" is the fundamental reason why it is not afraid of the United States now.
Iran's military composition is rather "peculiar", generally speaking, most sovereign states tend to have only one military system in order to concentrate their forces, while Iran has two.
They are the "Iranian Defense Forces" and the "Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps", although they are all under the orders of Iran, but in reality they are independent and not subordinate to each other, and they have their own navy, land and air forces.
According to an assessment by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Iranian Army has about 350,000 active-duty troops, including a range of modern units.
The Revolutionary Guards, on the other hand, have about 400,000 professional combat troops and more than 4 million formed militias, which will quickly transform into war machines and mobilize to form a powerful army of more than one million in the event of war.
In terms of military equipment, a lot of Iran's ** comes from imports, including some from the United States***
Therefore, frankly speaking, in terms of the level of the defense industry, Iran has not developed any equipment with an international leading level, and it is more of a free combination of imports at the sub-system level.
However, although its independent research and development capabilities are insufficient, Iran is not "lazy" compared to countries that are completely dependent on imports.
Therefore, to this day, Iran has established a relatively complete defense industry, which can produce light and imitation equipment in large quantities, and has the ability to repair and maintain the first equipment, and will not be controlled by others in wartime.
The army is abundant, it has a "million-strong division", it is fully equipped, and it is not afraid of "running out of ammunition and food".
Such an Iran, to be honest, may not be "strong", but to a certain extent, it is fully capable of causing trouble to the United States.
For example, in the current "Red Sea crisis", drones and missiles launched by the Houthis have caused great distress to the US military.
According to Western expert estimates, the cost of these "suicide drones" used by the Houthis is only 2,000 US dollars at most, but the United States needs to use anti-aircraft missiles with a unit price of around 2 million US dollars to intercept.
And that's just the Houthis, which are backed by Iran.
As we all know, the United States is currently experiencing a serious debt crisis, and its economy is already overwhelmed, and if the United States really wants to go to war with Iran, it is not certain who will collapse first.
Therefore, the combination of these reasons is the crux of the United States' reluctance to enter the Middle East today.
"Enlightened" has much help, and "unrighteousness" has little help
It is not afraid in spirit, it is not afraid in strength, and in terms of "morality", Iran is even tougher than the United States.
"The U.S. claims to protect maritime navigation in the Red Sea, but in reality it aims to protect Israeli entities and their vessels. ”
In an interview after the outbreak of the "Red Sea crisis", Houthi spokesman Abdul Salam directly revealed the thoughts of the Americans.
In fact, at the very beginning of the crisis, the Houthis made it clear that the purpose of their attacks was to "use their geographical advantages to influence the Palestinian-Israeli conflict" and support "Palestine" in resisting aggression.
So, based on this starting point, the solution to the crisis is obvious: "Israel ceases fire and allows outside deliveries of humanitarian supplies to the Gaza Strip".
Therefore, instead of "persuading" Israel, the United States is now coming to the Red Sea to make a real deal with Iran.
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict has developed to this day, and the truth has become very clear, and Israel's various acts have long been hated by the whole world.
Only, except for the United States.
On December 23, 2023, Iran's Raisi said at an international conference on the question of Palestine: "The international community is witnessing the product of today's unjust world order, which is terrible war crimes, and the United States is the main culprit of the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip." ”
In this regard, the Arabiya TV station from the Arab region analyzed thatWhat is happening in Gaza has given Iran the upper hand in the game with the United States, which is paying the price for its partiality with Israel.
In fact, in the United States, the United States**'s protection of Israel has also begun to be gradually questioned.
The New York Times published an article on the day of Iran's speech: "It's time for the United States to give Israel some harsh love." ”
In addition, some US "allies" have also begun to waver in the face of the undisguised "pro-Israel behavior" of the United States.
For example, at the last Security Council meeting last year, "US allies" such as Japan and France voted in favour of a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, and they did the same in the wake of the draft resolution that was vetoed by the United States earlier.
Faced with this situation, AFP commented: "Supporting Israel makes the United States face a new isolation. ”
Speaking of now, let alone a war with Iran, it is a "fight" with the Houthis, and the United States will not get support.
On 18 December last year, after US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced the establishment of a multinational fleet, the "chosen" Spanish Ministry of Defense immediately denied participating in the operation, and other countries were also very perfunctory in the face of the "call" of the United States, not to mention the so-called escort operation launched in the Red Sea, and none of the countries bordering the Red Sea responded.
All this really fulfills the old saying: "Those who have attained the Tao have much help, and those who have lost the Tao have little help." ”
Why is Iran supporting the Houthis?
A thousand years ago, Su Xun's "Theory of the Six Kingdoms" had already given the answer, the United States' ambition to dominate the Middle East will not stop, yesterday it was Hamas, today it is the Houthis, so what about tomorrow? What about the day after tomorrow?
Obviously, if Iran does not respond in any way, exchanging "compromise" for "sleeping overnight", one day, the butcher's knife will fall on its head.
Therefore, in fact, there is no such thing as "daring or not" to harden the United States, but the United States has not given Iran any other choice.
On the other hand, Iran is not subordinate to any country, and its relatively complete military manufacturing system can also support it to compete with the United States, although the final result is not certain, but at least it will not be "defeated without a fight".
Based on the above two points, the United States is on the verge of collapse again in terms of "morality", and more and more countries are going against it, and to a certain extent, it is also weakening the strength of the United States.
Under such circumstances, Iran's choice now is naturally "reasonable".
Reference: What is the origin of the Houthis in Yemen who blockade the Red Sea? Reporter of this newspaper Chen Zishuai of this newspaper. Zhao This newspaper's special correspondent Evan.
The Effect of the United States in Forming a Multinational Fleet in the Red Sea Has Been Questioned This newspaper's special correspondent Chen Yang and this newspaper's reporter Ma Jun.
The Gaza Conflict Intensifies the Contradictions between the United States and Iran Huang Peizhao, a special correspondent of this newspaper in Egypt, has a heavy responsibility.
Let's talk about the "United States is not credible" in the eyes of Iranians, reporter Gao Wencheng.
The Red Sea crisis, the prelude to the spread of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict? Reporter An Zheng.
How strong is Iran's military power?
The military strength of the Iranian Army has risen greatly Liu Xiaofeng.