|
Trending Topics
|
Iran Is Baiting, But America Won't Bite
(Financial Times-UK) Ian Bremmer and Cliff Kupchan - Iran has been relentlessly provoking America for the last 10 days. Its military recently threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, and Tehran warned on Tuesday that U.S. aircraft carriers should not return to the Gulf. But Iran is bluffing and war with the U.S. or Israel is very unlikely in the foreseeable future. Military conflict in the Strait of Hormuz would block Iran's own ability to export oil. An attempt to close the strait would be fruitless because the U.S. Navy could open it within weeks. War could easily spread and lead to an attack on Iran's crown jewel - its nuclear program. Ayatollah Khamenei has his hands full at home with a plummeting currency and infighting among his elite. Tehran's main goal is to scare the U.S. and its allies away from implementing sanctions against Iran's oil exports. Ian Bremmer is president of Eurasia Group. Cliff Kupchan is a director at the political risk consultancy.