Kamala Harris, the U.S. Vice President and the Democratic Party’s nominee for the 2024 presidential election, recently referred to the Islamic Republic of Iran as the greatest foreign enemy of her country. In an interview on CBS’s “60 Minutes,” Harris faced a challenging question: “Which foreign country do you believe is the biggest threat to the United States?” She responded, “I think there is a clear answer in my mind, and that is Iran.” The Democratic candidate further emphasized that Iran has American blood on its hands and stressed that her top priority if elected, would be to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Harris’s remarks have sparked serious reactions and criticisms, particularly among Americans with expertise in national security and foreign policy. Her critics argue that Harris is unnecessarily exaggerating the threat posed by Iran and intends to divert American resources to a place that may not yield beneficial returns. These critics, instead of focusing on Iran, highlight China as the primary threat and emphasize the need to contain it. This stance is in stark contrast to Harris’s statements during the interview, where she spoke about the necessity of competing with China and keeping communication channels open, rather than containing it.
The question arises: Do Harris’s statements reflect the true stance of her and the Democratic Party towards Iran, or are they merely political rhetoric aimed at the election? There are reasons to believe that Harris’s remarks are primarily intended for electoral purposes and that her real definition of Iran’s threat is not what she presented on CBS:
1) One of the criticisms leveled at Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, by Americans is their infrequent media presence. This criticism stems from Harris being less well-known than Donald Trump, the Republican nominee. To increase her visibility and make the public more aware of her election platform, Harris needs to appear in the media and respond to challenging questions from journalists. This likely explains her decision to participate in the CBS interview, where she faced difficult questions, including the one mentioned above. It seems Harris was caught off guard by the question and had no choice but to mention Iran. Had she been in a debate with Trump or had prior knowledge of the question, she might have responded differently, as she did with the following question: “If you obtain evidence that Iran has acquired nuclear weapons, would you take military action?” She responded, “I don’t want to answer hypothetical questions now.” Interestingly, while she labeled Iran the biggest enemy of her country and prioritized preventing it from acquiring nuclear weapons, she did not comment on the possibility or certainty of military action against Iran (if it were to become armed with nuclear weapons).
2) Harris’s claim that Iran is the greatest enemy of her country comes at a time when Barack Obama, one of the most prominent Democratic figures, initiated the process of reducing U.S. presence in the Middle East, shifting focus towards the Asia-Pacific region, to contain China—a country Harris referenced in her interview as a competitor. Additionally, under Obama’s leadership, containing Russia also became a priority, leading to the 2014 Crimea Peninsula crisis and the imposition of sanctions on Russia in support of Ukraine. During this time, the process of transferring responsibility from foreign forces to Afghan forces began, with the gradual withdrawal of global powers from Afghanistan—an effort to contain Moscow and Beijing. When the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan was complete, war erupted in Ukraine, and Joe Biden’s administration became indirectly engaged in conflict with Russia. This shows that the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and reduction of its presence in the Middle East were not haphazard decisions. If Harris is sincere in her statement, why did the Democrats abandon Iraq and Afghanistan to Iran’s benefit and turn toward the Far East? Moreover, Harris was Biden’s vice president when the U.S. exited Afghanistan, leaving the playing field wide open for Tehran.
More importantly, the “2022 U.S. National Security Strategy,” approved by Biden and Harris, identifies China as the most significant “geopolitical challenge.” Reports indicate that China is mentioned over fifty times in this document, while Iran is mentioned fewer than eight times. This shows that Beijing, not Tehran, is the primary threat to Washington. Is Harris not adhering to the provisions of the most important document she helped approve? Hence, one could argue that Harris’s recent statements do not reflect her true view of Iran.
3) Trump has accused Biden and Harris of being sympathetic toward Iran. Trump has gone as far as labeling Harris as pro-Iran and anti-Israel—a narrative that, if widely promoted, could harm her candidacy. Trump even suggested that the October 7 attack resulted from Biden and Harris’s lenient stance toward Iran and its allied Islamist militias. In a debate with Harris, Trump claimed that if his opponent were to win, Israel would be destroyed within two years. Trump has repeatedly asserted that Iran was on the verge of collapse during his presidency but has become a wealthy country under Biden and Harris. Therefore, Harris has adopted an anti-Iran stance to neutralize Trump’s criticisms. U.S. presidential candidates strive to outdo each other in fearmongering about Iran. While Republicans have traditionally used a harsher tone against Tehran, Democrats are also trying to keep up. However, how much anti-Iran rhetoric resonates with the American public remains unclear.
4) Harris’s statements came shortly after the Islamic Republic of Iran launched nearly 200 ballistic missiles toward Israel. In her interview, Harris referred to this missile attack while labeling Iran as the greatest enemy of her country. By declaring Iran as the current enemy, Harris has not only aligned herself with Israel but also seemingly sought to garner the support of American Jews and the pro-Israel lobby in the U.S. The Jewish community, a significant demographic in the U.S. and traditionally a supporter of Democrats, has recently been gravitating toward Trump. Trump recently addressed them with the message: “Don’t disappoint me, and I won’t disappoint you,” signaling his renewed commitment to staunch support for Israel if re-elected.
5) Harris’s declaration that Iran is the greatest enemy of the U.S. comes despite her being a strong supporter of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the nuclear agreement that her electoral rival tore apart. Additionally, she opposed the assassination of Qasem Soleimani, the former commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who was killed under the orders of her electoral rival. Interestingly, the Islamic Republic also seems to prefer Harris. Amid rising discussions of Israel’s retaliatory operations against the Islamic Republic, there are reports that Biden and Harris are attempting to dissuade Tel Aviv from launching attacks on Iran’s nuclear and oil facilities. If Harris truly considers Iran to be the greatest enemy of her country, why is she preventing an attack on its sensitive and vital resources?
These points indicate that Harris’s recent statements about Iran are politically motivated and do not reflect her or the Democratic Party’s true stance toward Tehran. While her real position is somewhat clear, it will become more evident if she defeats Trump and makes her way to the White House. Finally, it should be noted that this article does not aim to prove friendship or enmity between Iran and the U.S. Rather, it is a critique of Harris’s recent interview.
You can read the Persian version of this analysis here:
