Counter Terrorist Trends and Analysis, Vol. 12:2
Tensions in the Gulf may have been dialed back months after the United States’ (US) killing of Iranian General Qassim Soleimani brought the region to the brink of war. However, the building blocks for a renewed crisis not only remain in place but have been reinforced. Iran, with hardliners emerging strengthened from parliamentary elections, is committed to a strategy that sees escalating asymmetric warfare as the straw that will break the camel’s back and force the parties back to the negotiating table. It is a risky gamble, with the US bent on continuing a maximum pressure campaign, and could easily spin out of control.
