Who is going to rein in Iran now? It is Iran that is seen to be escalating the situation in the Gulf by launching drones at neighbouring nations and doing so brazenly, especially if it was indeed aiming at a nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi. The only solace is there was no undue radiological alarm or injuries to people.
There is an element of madness to the chances that an increasingly tense Iran is taking as it considers itself to be on the brink of war as threats are emanating from US President Donald Trump. The only messaging that is reaching its own people as well as the world is the hardline official Iranian version of an attacked nation seeking revenge and which is prepared to test all red lines.
India responded with outrage again by terming the drone attack as “dangerous escalation” but without naming Iran given its ambiguous position on the war. Mr Trump and Mr Netanyahu had started this war, which stopped in an uneasy ceasefire from April 8, but which Iran has been repeatedly testing by firing at Gulf Arab nations, killing Indians too.
Rendered confident after surviving brutal bombing onslaughts in the 32-day war, it appears Iran appears willing to prolong the confrontation, perhaps secure in the belief that it could outlast America in the matter of enduring economic pain caused by the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz and counter-blockade of Iran ports by the USA that has upset the global economy with its biggest energy crisis ever.
With Mr Trump said to be considering all options, including resumption of bombing and fulminating in his threats to Iran about negotiating a deal because he is desperate to extricate himself from the quagmire he himself created, the world is caught in its web.
If the overwhelming opinion when the war started was that Mr Trump was unable to see the senselessness of it, it appears now Iran needs a lot of sound advice about not assuming too much about its defence and going to the negotiating table rather than escalating the situation.
The worry is that neither side is willing to hear that this is not a war that can be won by the US nor one that can be defended forever without hurting the people of Iran who will suffer the most if the bombing resumes.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
