Earlier this month, the Islamic Republic’s Prime Minister Ebrahim Raisi visited Uganda, Kenya, and Zimbabwe—the first visit to Africa by a head of the Iranian government in eleven years. Jacques Neriah explains that Raisi’s overtures to these countries are part of a larger “diplomatic blitz” with the goal of improving relations with North Africa, Sudan, and East Africa, intended in part to counter Israel’s improving relations with the continent:

Iran attaches particular importance to East African countries. It sees in this region a vast and fertile field for political, military, and economic activities, particularly the countries bordering the Red Sea coast. However, until now, Iran has yet to forge robust partnerships across Africa. . . . Iran is also perceived as a malign actor by many governments in Africa—mainly due to its efforts to export its favored version of political Islam—making them suspicious of Iran’s intentions and reluctant to embrace it as a trusted partner.

Iran has embarked on a policy meant to . . . extend its military and political presence in the Red Sea and especially in the vicinity of the Gulf of Aden and the Straits of Bab el-Mandeb, the straits that command the maritime passage from the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean through the coasts of the Horn of Africa and Yemen. [In addition, it wants to] continue its search for uranium suppliers in Africa.

Iran’s efforts to strengthen its foreign relations in critical regions, including Africa, have made no significant breakthroughs. The Iranian commitment to Africa has not produced concrete successes, and no breakthrough should be expected for Iran’s overseas agenda.

The Biden administration’s apparent abandonment of Israel is matched by the White House’s feckless handling of rising anti-Semitism. Seth Mandel explains:

On Thursday, May 2, Biden made public remarks condemning the campus pro-Hamas protests. The very next day, major Jewish groups pulled out of a White House meeting on anti-Semitism with [the domestic policy adviser Neera] Tanden and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona. The reason? Jewish activists who have spent their careers opposing Israel, attacking the Jewish community, and now supporting the very anti-Semitic demonstrations [the meeting was called to address] were added to the meeting after the mainstream groups had already accepted.

When Joe Biden speaks about anti-Semitism, he usually says the right words. But in charge of his deeds, he has put political incompetents manifestly unqualified for this responsibility. He should fix that immediately, because his speeches won’t much matter without a way to implement the ideas animating them.