Is Trump poised to restart the Iran war? | Trita Parsi | MEE Opinion

Trita Parsi, executive vice president at the Quincy Institute, says the Middle East is again close to a renewed US war with Iran, after Donald Trump issued a series of threats before appearing to give diplomacy another chance. Parsi argues that if war resumes, it will show that every previous escalation has failed, from threats of war, to the war itself, to what he calls the “blockade of the blockades”. He says this search for an escalatory “silver bullet” to force Iran to surrender is not unique to Trump, but part of a wider pathology in US policy towards Iran. Although negotiations have made some progress, they remain stuck on Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Parsi argues that both Washington and Tehran now believe another round of war could strengthen their position at the negotiating table. Trump, he says, underestimated Iran’s strength, while some in Tehran believe the previous war proved Iran was stronger than Washington assumed, especially because of its control of the Strait of Hormuz. If a new war begins, Parsi says Iran is preparing a much broader response. Tehran could target the UAE, American data centres, Gulf energy infrastructure, the Red Sea, and undersea fibre optic cables carrying internet traffic and financial transactions. He concludes that renewed war is not inevitable, but if both sides convince themselves that more fighting will give them leverage, the pull towards war could become dangerously strong, however irrational that may prove to be. Support stories that matter. Join this channel to get access to perks:    / @middleeasteye   Catch previous episodes of MEE LIVE, our biweekly news programme exploring the stories shaping our world through breaking coverage, expert analysis, and hard-hitting interviews. Originally airing Tuesdays & Thursdays at 12pm ET | 5pm BST Got a story tip or question? Reach us at [email protected] Subscribe to our channel: http://ow.ly/AVlW30n1OWH Subscribe to MEE Telegram channel to stay up to date: https://t.me/MiddleEastEye_TG Middle East Eye Website: https://middleeasteye.net Follow us on TikTok:   / middleeasteye   Follow us on Instagram:   / middleeasteye   Like us on Facebook:   / middleeasteye   Follow us on Twitter:   / middleeasteye