Iran Perceives US Disarray as Advantage in Escalating Regional Tensions
As reported by France 24, veteran US diplomat Aaron David Miller observes that current US national security decision-making regarding Iran, Israel, and Lebanon is characterized by improvisation and internal fragmentation. This assessment suggests a US administration seeking an exit from entangled conflicts while Iran, facing relentless airstrikes, believes it holds a superior strategic hand and
feels no urgent need for substantial compromise. Mainstream outlets like France 24 frame this situation as a contemporary diplomatic challenge, highlighting the lack of a 'coherent strategy' and reliance on 'informal envoys.' What is omitted is the long-standing pattern of US policy inconsistency that has contributed to this perceived disarray. Back in 1983, the US, under Secretary of State George
Shultz, formally restored diplomatic relations with Iraq and began heavily re-arming Saddam Hussein, even as its own intelligence confirmed Iraq's use of chemical weapons against Iran. This move, a stark betrayal of any purported neutrality, directly fueled Iran's distrust of US intentions and its willingness to negotiate from a position of strength, rather than concession. This history of
shifting allegiances and overt hostility, such as the US support for the MEK terrorist organization which killed thousands of Iranians, offers crucial context to Iran's current stance. The US has maintained a naval presence in the Persian Gulf since the 1940s, culminating in the 1988 shootdown of Iran Air Flight 655 by the USS Vincennes, killing all 290 civilians aboard, a horrific act that the US