The Trump administration’s pick for deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East brings a record on Iran, the Houthis and the region that is alarming pro-Israel conservatives, having described Iran’s missile attack on Israel as “fairly moderate” and urged the U.S. against bombing the Houthis, instead calling for American pressure on Israel.
Michael DiMino, who was a military analyst at the CIA and an official at the Defense Department during the first Trump administration, has been a fellow at Defense Priorities, a Koch-funded isolationist think tank founded by allies of libertarian Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY). He has called for a reduced U.S. presence in the Middle East and argued that the U.S. does not have any critical interests in the region.
In a webinar in February 2024 with Defense Priorities, DiMino, who was sworn in on Monday, declared that the Middle East does “not really” matter for U.S. interests, arguing that “vital or existential threats” in the Middle East are “best characterized as minimal to nonexistent,” and that the U.S.’ role in the region has not provided any benefits.