The Iran war-Escalation is the name of the game

If Iran sees the war as a fight for the survival of the Islamic Republic, US President Donald Trump sees it as the litmus test of his ‘peace through strength’ foreign policy. Five months into the war, Iran has emerged as the first and only state to challenge Mr. Trump’s ‘might is right’ approach, albeit at significant cost to itself, its neighbours, and the global economy. The challenge, rooted in Iranian perceptions of the Islamic Republic’s 47-year-long history, complicates Mr. Trump’s quest for a credible off-ramp and threatens to trap him in an escalatory cycle.