Kamala Harris Thinks Iran Is America’s Biggest Threat: Is She Wrong?

Kamala Harris Says Iran Is Most Worrisome Threat: Iran, not China, is the biggest adversary of the United States, according to Kamala Harris.

The Vice President was speaking earlier in October during a 60 Minutes interview that itself has been seen as controversial for its alleged questionable editing techniques. Harris’ views about Iran run counter to what the U.S. Department of Defense has said about China being the number one challenge to U.S. primacy. The presidential candidate has a point, though.

Yes, Iran Is a Big Problem

Lately, Iran has been especially troublesome.

It is the Middle East region’s biggest sponsor of terrorism, perhaps the most significant enabler of terrorism in the world. It funds and arms Israel’s arch enemies Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. Tehran is getting close to creating a nuclear weapon that would further destabilize the region. Iran has a world-class ballistic missile program, and it launches these missiles toward Israel frequently. Iran has funded, supported, and armed Shia paramilitary units that have killed Americans. Its human rights record is also abysmal.

Iran Is a Supporter of Violence

“Iran has American blood on their hands,” she said. “This attack on Israel, 200 ballistic missiles — What we need to do to ensure that Iran never achieves the ability to be a nuclear power that is one of my highest priorities.”

A Nuclear-equipped Iran Is a Fact of Life

Iran is a mere months away from a nuclear device and plans to weaponize the warheads and mate them with ballistic missiles. It is conceivable that Tehran could test a nuclear device when Harris ascends to the presidency in January of 2025 should she beat former President Donald Trump.

What Will the U.S. Do About Iran?

Harris offered no ready solutions to the Iran problem. She didn’t propose that the United States deploy more boots on the ground in the Middle East, although the Biden administration has ordered a THAAD missile defense battery to Israel that will include a handful of American troops who will operate the system. Plus, about 2,500 American troops are stationed in Iraq and 900 in Syria to fight ISIS terrorists.

What About China?

Some national security experts were surprised that Harris placed Iran at the top of the list for U.S. enemies. Rebeccah Heinrichs, of the Hudson Institute think tank, said, “I actually don’t know anybody who works in national security who would be asked this and say Iran. Iran is decidedly a rogue state problem, a serious threat, but not the same type as an actual peer adversary like China.”

China Is More Than a “Near Peer”

Indeed, China has a deep national security bench and multiple ways it can bring the noise against the United States and its allies in East Asia. China is a vaunted nuclear power with a stockpile of about 500 nuclear weapons. It wants 1,500 warheads to be on par with America someday. The country has three aircraft carriers. It can produce a new warship every few weeks. It has a huge standing army. Plus, China continually harasses Taiwan and runs drills that show it could surround, blockade, and quarantine the island nation. Many China observers believe China’s leader Xi Jinping will order some type of offensive against Taiwan by 2027 and this could include a significant invasion to topple the government in Taipei. In addition, China has militarized various islands, rocks, and reefs in the South China Sea.

China Excels at the Spy Game

China also has the second-largest economy in the world, and its espionage abilities are top-notch. The country’s intelligence organs have stolen hundreds of billions of dollars worth of intellectual property from the United States. In 2023, it flew what was thought to be a spy balloon over America, showing its global intelligence-collecting reach.

Her Own Administration Believes That China Is Biggest Challenge

In 2022, the Biden-Harris administration published a national security strategy that called China America’s “most consequential geopolitical challenge.” The document mentioned the word China almost five times more than Iran.

However, I wouldn’t place too much weight on Harris’ words. It was just one interview. She knows that China is a huge threat and may have just mentioned Iran off the cuff. This probably doesn’t mean a significant shift in strategy by her potential new administration if she wins the election. She is correct to include Iran as a huge danger to the world order.

What About Regime Change In Iran?

Notice what Harris did not say. She made no mention of regime change in Iran. Regime change is not discussed much among the foreign policy blob in Washington, DC. I call for regime change in Iran in my new book on foreign policy, although admittedly, I am vague on how this would happen. Reza Pahlavi, the Crown Prince of Iran, who lives in exile, is one person who could take over the reins should the Iranian spiritual and political leadership be deposed. But this is probably an unlikely development. Armchair strategists like me hope this could happen, but the stars would need to align before regime change could occur.

It will be interesting to see how a Harris administration would approach U.S. grand strategy. Many foreign policy analysts, including myself, take the “4+1” approach to strategy development. This means that the five most significant threats to the United States: China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, and terrorism must be dealt with either individually or holistically. Harris is not wrong since Iran is on that list of the new Axis of Evil. Let’s hope she has a plan for the other four problem areas.

About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood

Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.