TEHRAN- President Joe Biden’s decision to end his re-election campaign has sent shockwaves across the American political landscape and raised many questions.

The 81-year-old president dropped out of the 2024 presidential race on Sunday.

“It has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as your President. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden said in a letter posted to his official account on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Biden also endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to succeed him, urging Democrats to rally behind her.

Unfit for office

Ending his bid for re-election came after a disastrous debate with Donald Trump last month.

Biden’s shockingly poor performance in the June 27 televised debate raised concerns about the president’s stamina, mental capabilities and skepticism of his ability to effectively campaign against Trump.

Harris’ ascension to the top of the Democratic ticket is not certain because delegates to the Democratic National Convention will determine the nominee. 

Nonetheless, early signs indicate that the Democratic Party is coalescing around Harris and she will be able to win the nomination.

But there are concerns whether Harris, 59, or any other Democratic nominee will be able to beat Trump less than four months before the November election. Trump is currently leading in polls.

Zionist lobbyists pull the strings

Age and questions about Biden’s mental faculties had been his biggest political liability since he first ran against Trump four years ago.

Biden’s doctors and advisors have been aware that he won’t be able to run the US for another four years.

Many Democrats have welcomed Biden’s decision to exit the presidential race but there is also a lot of frustration among them who ask why he did not do so months ago.

Some critics believe by staying in the race, he has deprived the Democratic Party of the incredibly important process of a primary test.

It is believed that his early departure would have provided an opportunity for the progressive wing of the Democratic Party to speak out against Washington’s unwavering support for Israel during primaries and caucuses.

Pro-Israeli lobbying groups are accused of egging him on to stay in the race in an attempt to prevent progressive Democrats from criticizing the regime’s genocidal war on Gaza.

Abetting genocide

Biden has thrown his full weight behind the Israeli war in Gaza which has claimed the lives of more than 39,000 Palestinians over the past nine months.

Since Israel declared war on Gaza on October 7, protesters have staged rallies across the United States denouncing their country’s backing for the onslaught.

They have also accused Washington of complicity in Israeli crimes in Gaza.

Some protesters have called Biden “Genocide Joe” for abetting the Israeli genocide in Gaza.

U.S. serves Israeli interests

The Biden administration has blocked several resolutions at the United Nations Security Council aimed at establishing a ceasefire in Gaza.

Besides, the US has approved additional military aid to Israel worth tens of billions of dollars since October 7 despite mounting civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip.

This is in addition to supplying Israel with an annual $3.8 billion in military aid.

Blow to Biden administration

Since the start of the Gaza war, a dozen American officials have stepped down to vent their anger at Washington’s support for the onslaught.

Tariq Habash, an official at the Department of Education, is among those who resigned in January.  

He has said that a significant part of the Democratic base is already disillusioned with Biden because of his unwillingness to hold Israel accountable for violations of international humanitarian law.

“Whoever replaces the President on the ticket needs to show voters that there will be a substantive shift in policy that ends the dehumanization of Palestinians and supports Palestinian human rights, international law, and peace,” Habash added, according to The Intercept.

An American Air Force major who also resigned in June over Biden’s policies in Gaza criticized the Democratic Party for ignoring the plight of Palestinians in Gaza amid Israel’s brutalities.

“That being said, Biden isn’t stepping down because of pressure on how brutal his Gaza policy was. From my perspective, the ongoing genocide in Gaza had minimal to no impact on the pressure for him to step down. I’m still disheartened that the Democratic Party doesn’t care about Palestinians and continues to offer unconditional support to Israel,” Livermore told The Intercept.

Pro-Palestine groups in the US have also challenged Biden’s leadership over his support for the Israeli genocide in Gaza.

“It was not Biden’s failed debate that showed he is unfit to lead. It was the tens of thousands of bombs he sent to kill Palestinian families,” the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights said.

In a statement the group added, “Biden’s refusal to adhere to international law or enforce U.S. law has deepened Israel’s illegal military occupation. The International Court of Justice’s latest advisory opinion on Friday asserted that every state has a legal obligation ‘not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation’ created by Israel’s denial of Palestinian rights.”

Standing by Israel amid its massacres in Gaza is among the dark legacies that Biden is leaving behind.

Washington warmongering

Washington’s military adventurism and warmongering approach has shown no sign of abating during Biden’s tenure.

The US has time and again pounded the positions of resistance groups in West Asia which are opposed to Israel’s war on Gaza and Washington’s support for the regime’s carnage.

American fighter jets have also carried out strikes against Yemen over the Ansarullah movement’s moves toward the Gaza war.

Biden’s policy on Iran

Biden has continued a hostile approach toward Iran since taking office in 2021.

He had criticized some of the anti-Iran policies of his predecessor, Donald Trump, including his unilateral withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Senior officials in the Biden administration have called Trump’s anti-Iran policies, including the imposition of sanctions and the JCPOA pullout a failure.

However, Biden has not only failed to restore the nuclear deal but also maintained or intensified sanctions against the Islamic Republic. 

These sanctions have taken a heavy toll on Iranian patients, particularly those with rare diseases. This is because international pharmaceutical companies have refused to do business with Iran amid fears of sanctions.

Alena Douhan, the UN special rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on human rights, who visited Iran in May 2022, says the delivery of medicines and medical equipment to Iran has been “severely undermined” by the effects of sanctions.

 “These constitute serious impediments to the enjoyment of the right to the highest attainable standard of health by all Iranians,” Douhan has said.

Hence, the blood of Iranian patients who have lost their lives due to the impact of US-led sanctions after 2021 is on Biden’s hands. 

Biden has followed in Trump’s footsteps despite promising to rectify his erroneous policies toward Iran. Both of them like other US presidents have tried to smear Iran, but Trump has shown the true colors of America’s nature.

Hegemonic mindset

The United States has ramped up arms supplies to Ukraine amid the war with Russia which began in February 2022. The Kremlin has accused the US and its Western allies of prolonging the Ukraine war by continuing to send arms to Kyiv.

The Biden administration has also continued a hostile policy toward North Korea, China and other countries that challenge the US hegemony.

Joe Biden will leave the White House after the next president takes office, but he will go down in history as a US president who enabled, funded, and supported the Israeli genocide in Gaza, caused the deaths of Iranian patients and fanned the flames of conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.