Just as the founder of Iran’s Islamic Revolution unseated US President Jimmy Carter through the hostage crisis in 1979, Iran’s current supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei wants President Trump ousted – and to achieve this, he wants war.
The recent spate of Iranian attacks was meant to draw the US into a military confrontation that would be unpopular with American voters. But Tehran’s recent escalation in the region should not be viewed as an act of strength. Rather, it is a veneer to divert attention from the one thing Iran’s regime fears the most: a sustained, organised domestic uprising.
Moving forward, the US must be careful not to fall into this Iranian conflict trap, but instead focus on building an international coalition against Tehran – and crucially this coalition needs Europe’s support. The only solution to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East and push back against the Ayatollah’s thirst for conflict is a united US and Europe
Read Kasra Aarabi's full op-ed in The Times of Israel.