Given the perils of direct confrontation with the US, the most likely recourse for Iran may be to mobilise its proxy militias to attack American assets in Iraq.
Mourners at the funeral for Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani burn Israeli and U.S. flags.
Hamid Vakili/NurPhoto via Getty Images
It’s very dangerous to assume that Iran will not escalate the crisis further, much less that the US could limit any violence that might ensue.
Iranian worshippers attend a mourning prayer for slain Iranian Revolutionary Guards Major General Qassem Soleimani in Iran’s capital, Tehran, on Jan. 3, 2020.
ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images
Klaus W. Larres, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
President Trump’s Iran policy took a dramatic turn when the US killed Iran’s top military commander in a drone strike. To avoid war, one foreign policy scholar says Trump has to reverse his stance.
Qasem Soleimani pictured in 2018.
EPA/EPA-EFE/Iranian Supreme Leader's Office
US dominance over the international oil system has influenced the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
A Yemeni national, denied entry into the U.S. because of the travel ban, shows their cancelled visa to reporters as they successfully arrive at Washington Dulles International Airport.
REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/Files
Data show that the US intervenes more in other countries’ affairs than it did in the past. It also currently hires fewer career professionals for ambassadorial or foreign affairs positions.
Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani in late November 2016, after Trump won the presidential election.
AP/Carolyn Kaster
A former congressional staffer says withholding damning evidence from Congress and using civilians to carry out presidential or intelligence agency agendas links the Ukraine crisis to other scandals.
Trump addresses the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters, Sept. 24, 2019.
AP Photo/Mary Altaffer
The US has historically asked for international support when brewing conflicts in the Middle East boiled over.
Donald Trump has rolled out the red carpet for Scott Morrison in the US as part of a charm offensive aimed at shoring up the Australia-US alliance.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
Just because Australia has a strong relationship with the US doesn’t mean we should take a similarly aggressive stance with China and Iran.
The attack on the Abqaiq oil facilities in Saudi Arabia has sparked geopolitical tensions but has had only a minor impact on oil prices.
Hamad I Mohammed/Reuters
Energy-wise, the fallout from the attack on Saudi oil facilities has so far been very muted. The surge in oil production in the US over the past decade helps explain why.
This week’s attack on Saudi oil facilities appears to be the latest effort by Iran to escalate tensions in the Persian Gulf to push back on the US ‘maximum pressure’ sanctions campaign.
Pavel Golovkin/EPA
Iran’s goal is to sow discord and inflict pain on energy markets, while avoiding crossing a threshold that prompts retaliation from the US. This is a fine line to walk at the best of times.