For Iran, does de-escalation outweigh the cost of escalation? | The Bottom Line
Iran’s leaders have pledged “harsh punishment” of Israel after the assassination of Hamas’s political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran. But the United States has, in turn, pledged to defend Israel, and Iran is not looking for direct confrontation with Washington. All this indicates a reluctance from Iran to retaliate, argues Trita Parsi, the co-founder of…