Wall Street Journal Highlights Four Washington Misconceptions in Iran Conflict
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, The Wall Street Journal, in an analysis of Washington’s engagement with the Iran conflict, has highlighted four critical misconceptions held by the U.S. regarding the Iranian political system and its capacity to withstand pressure.
The newspaper reported that Iran has conditioned the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz on a permanent end to hostilities, the complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from the region, the lifting of maritime blockades, the release of Iran’s frozen assets, and war reparations to Iran. These stipulations are seen as an expression of Iran’s strategy to project an image of being undefeatable.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Tehran’s leadership leverages its endurance in power as a bargaining chip in negotiations, with ruling elites viewing unbalanced concessions as a sign of weakness that could jeopardize the regime’s survival.
The American publication detailed four core U.S. illusions fueling its confrontational stance against Iran:
The first illusion was the American belief that Iran’s logic in conflict was solely based on a cost-benefit analysis. U.S. observers, the Journal suggested, failed to recognize Iran as a revolutionary nation whose political identity is rooted in ideology and the concept of the “Axis of Resistance.” Consequently, any concessions from Iran could be perceived as an abandonment of fundamental regime principles, a prospect Tehran would reject.
The second misconception, the article stated, involved Washington’s assumption that Iran had a defined threshold of pain, reaching which Tehran could be compelled to surrender. However, the U.S. encountered unforeseen resistance from Iran, preventing it from sustaining pressure to the point of capitulation.
The third illusion revolved around Washington’s assertion that Iran had sustained significant blows in the conflict, leading to the belief that this would undermine Iran’s negotiating position. This claim contrasted with historical U.S. military doctrine, which has historically relied on decisive ground victories, rather than solely aerial attacks, since World War II up to the Persian Gulf War.
The fourth misconception, attributed to Donald Trump, was the expectation that domestic unrest following the initiation of conflict would weaken the Iranian government’s negotiating capacity. However, Iran successfully demonstrated its internal stability and sovereignty.
