Jim Lobe retweetledi
For the millionth time: the U.S. still doesn’t understand how the Iranian regime works. That’s why negotiations have failed, why military pressure hasn’t delivered results, and why escalation won’t lead to a breakthrough.
Here’s the bottom line: Iran will not surrender, even under heavy bombardment or severe damage to its infrastructure. The regime sees this as a fight for survival. External pressure only strengthens its narrative that the U.S. and its allies are waging war against the Iranian people, not just the regime.
They won’t concede to demands they’ve already rejected in the past. And every time Washington raises the stakes, Tehran, and its regional partners will respond in kind.
If Trump (or any U.S. administration) wants a deal, it must recognize a hard truth: Iran does not see itself as negotiating from weakness. There is no realistic scenario in which maximum pressure alone forces capitulation even if the U.S. targets strategic assets.
Yes, the U.S. can inflict significant damage. But there is no “textbook solution” here, and certainly no path to regime surrender through pressure alone.
The only scenario that fundamentally changes the equation is regime change, and short of that, escalation will not produce a different outcome.
#iran
Laura Rozen@lrozen
“Why wouldn't they call? We just blew up their three big bridges last night,” Trump said. He seems incapable of absorbing information that contradicts his biases.
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