Iran Thinks It’s Winning. That View Is Guiding Its War And Diplomacy

(Frud Bezhan – RFE/RL) The United States and Israel’s bombing campaign has devastated Iran’s military, decapitated much of its leadership, and destroyed critical infrastructure. Yet Tehran still believes it is winning the weekslong confrontation. That Iran’s theocracy has survived at all has been touted in the Islamic republic as a victory. The country has also obtained a new and powerful card: control of the Strait of Hormuz. Since the war began on February 28, Iran has effectively closed one of the world’s key arteries for global oil and gas supplies, a move that has rattled energy markets, upended the global economy, and handed Tehran new leverage. Iran’s perception of victory has shaped the country’s conduct in the conflict, where it has refused to capitulate despite suffering enormous material losses. The Islamic republic’s confidence has extended to the negotiating table, where it is aiming to end the war on its own terms. “In some ways, Iran is in a more favorable position now than it was before the war. It finally played a card it had threatened for years — closing off the Strait of Hormuz — and it paid off,” said Arash Azizi, a postdoctoral associate and lecturer at Yale University. – Iran Thinks It’s Winning. That View Is Guiding Its War And Diplomacy.