‘Hard to imagine’ politics ‘isn’t going to weigh in’ on Biden’s response to Iran’s attack

Former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney says it is “hard to imagine” politics “isn’t going to weigh in” on Joe Biden’s response to Iran’s attack on Israel. The US has broken ranks with one of its biggest allies after it told Israel it will not participate in any retaliatory action against Iran following hundreds of strikes over the weekend. It is Tehran’s first-ever direct attack on its neighbour. Israel says more than 300 missiles and drones were fired by Iran, Iraq, Syria and Yemen, but most were intercepted before entering Israeli airspace. “It’s going to be different; it’s going to be hard, but it’s going to be different than Gaza,” Mr Mulvaney told Sky News Australia. “Keep in mind, there is a very strong pro-Palestinian element here in the United States – that’s different than defending Iran. “It’s not exactly the same political dynamic. “That being said, to the extent Joe Biden is not only the sitting president but also a candidate for re-election, it’s hard to image that politics isn’t going to weigh in and he doesn’t want to be perceived … as being too pro-Israel.”