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by Udik 2558 days ago
> Trump calling the attack off was a surprisingly sober call on his part.

I am not too sure. The US are already attacking Iran, by strangling its economy, effectivly subjecting it to a blockade. They don't need an open war for that, it would be an unnecessary cost, economic and diplomatic- but at the same time they have to show they're absolutely ready for it.

For the US (but in fact Israel and Saudi Arabia, the only ones that gain from this) the best option is to keep choking Iran in silence, without much hassle, so the rest of the world can keep looking the other way.

2 comments

> The US are already attacking Iran, by strangling its economy, effectivly subjecting it to a blockade.

That is true, it's a policy the U.S. has employed in Iraq prior to the 2003 invasion and is now also perusing in Venezuela. In some ways you're right, it makes it look like Iran's acting in a vacuum and the U.S. is doing nothing to provoke it.

On the other hand, if they were to bomb Iran, it's not like they'd let the sanctions go in exchange for the bombing, it would be in addition to the sanctions. And yes, it would draw minimal condemnation from the EU, China and Russia, but that's about it.

You could have said the same about Iraq in 2003.