Acknowledging Iran’s relationship with its regional allies who just claimed credit for this lethal attack doesn’t promote warmongering against the Islamic Republic, just like acknowledging that the targeted base was in Jordan doesn’t make one a “US stenographer” or “fool”.
The common link between the war in Ukraine and the general chaos unfolding in the Middle East is that the United States is the aggressor in both instances. Scratch the surface of almost any significant crisis in the world today and you'll find an American scuttling around at the bottom of it.
The "escalate to de-escalate" theory doesn't work when your bluff has been called a dozen times already. US not in a position to deliver on its threats, because it can't round up regional governments to cover for it, as it usually would. That cover has been buried in Gaza.
The dozens of bases in the region flying the US flag were once a symbol of might, now are merely "tripwire forces". And now the wire is tripped every day. The casus belli is firmly hand, but evidently unusable.
There must, of course, be face-saving bombings and missile strikes by the US. But as regards Iran, if the US felt confident taking direct action, it would have happened by now. Some lesser target will suffer for it.
There may yet be a more committed push from pro-Israel hawks in the US to "reaffirm the US commitment to the region", but I'd think that is a task for after the US election.
The common link between the war in Ukraine and the general chaos unfolding in the Middle East is that the United States is the aggressor in both instances. Scratch the surface of almost any significant crisis in the world today and you'll find an American scuttling around at the bottom of it.
The "escalate to de-escalate" theory doesn't work when your bluff has been called a dozen times already. US not in a position to deliver on its threats, because it can't round up regional governments to cover for it, as it usually would. That cover has been buried in Gaza.
The dozens of bases in the region flying the US flag were once a symbol of might, now are merely "tripwire forces". And now the wire is tripped every day. The casus belli is firmly hand, but evidently unusable.
There must, of course, be face-saving bombings and missile strikes by the US. But as regards Iran, if the US felt confident taking direct action, it would have happened by now. Some lesser target will suffer for it.
There may yet be a more committed push from pro-Israel hawks in the US to "reaffirm the US commitment to the region", but I'd think that is a task for after the US election.