{"id":8224,"date":"2026-03-21T14:39:32","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T14:39:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/friscotimes.org\/?p=8224"},"modified":"2026-03-21T14:39:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T14:39:32","slug":"iran-war-gravity-html","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/friscotimes.org\/?p=8224","title":{"rendered":"The Gravity of the War in Iran"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"g-bk-PPf1lQaQzPXXWA\" data-preview-slug=\"bk-PPf1lQaQzPXXWA\" data-birdkit-hydrate=\"62840a1db348152c\">\n<p>\t<!--[--><!--[--><!----><!----><!--[--><!--[--><!----><!----><!--]--><!--[--><!----><!--[--><!----><\/p>\n<figure class=\"g-wrapper  svelte-19s2qxj g-needs-margin-block\" style=\"--g-wrapper_margin-block:0px 24px;--g-wrapper_margin-top:0px;--g-wrapper_margin-bottom:24px;--g-wrapper_hed-text-wrap:balance\"><!--[!--><!--]--> <!--[!--><!--]--> <!----> <!--[!--><!--]--><!----><\/figure>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!----><!--]--><!--[--><!----><!--[--><!--[!--><!----><\/p>\n<p class=\"g-text g-body-text svelte-i37gsg g-text_last\"><!--[--><!---->Many forces have pulled reluctant nations into war throughout history.<!----><!--]--><!----><\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--]--><!----><!--]--><!--[--><!----><!--[--><!--[!--><!----><\/p>\n<p class=\"g-text g-body-text svelte-i37gsg g-text_last\"><!--[--><!---->Countries may feel they must act to protect vital economic interests, like access to basic resources and shipping routes. Others may be provoked more directly, like when a missile enters their airspace. Mutual defense pacts can act as tripwires that entangle allies, and larger powers can press proxies to step in.<!----><!--]--><!----><\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--]--><!----><!--]--><!--[--><!----><!--[--><!--[!--><!----><\/p>\n<p class=\"g-text g-body-text svelte-i37gsg g-text_last\"><!--[--><!---->Raising the stakes of the war to impose costs on more and more countries is part of Iran\u2019s strategy. Faced with an overwhelming aerial bombardment that has killed many of its leaders, Tehran views the moment as existential.<!----><!--]--><!----><\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--]--><!----><!--]--><!--[--><!----><!--[--><!--[!--><!----><\/p>\n<p class=\"g-text g-body-text svelte-i37gsg g-text_last\"><!--[--><!---->\u201cFrom the Iranian perspective, they were going to go big, and this is going to be the final war,\u201d said Mona Yacoubian, director of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The Iranian government decided it would \u201ceither emerge standing with a place in the region, or they\u2019re going to go down fighting,\u201d she said.<!----><!--]--><!----><\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--]--><!----><!--]--><!--[--><!----><!--[--><!--[!--><!----><\/p>\n<p class=\"g-text g-body-text svelte-i37gsg g-text_last\"><!--[--><!---->With its military depleted and overmatched, Iran is trying to make the conflict too politically combustible \u2014 and too expensive \u2014 for Washington to sustain.<!----><!--]--><!----><\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--]--><!----><!--]--><!--[--><!----><!--[--><!--[!--><!----><\/p>\n<p class=\"g-text g-body-text svelte-i37gsg g-text_last\"><!--[--><!---->To that end, the Iranians have been striking data centers and oil facilities in U.S.-friendly Gulf nations. They have also paralyzed ship traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, sending crude oil soaring beyond $100 a barrel and setting off fears of crippling global inflation.<!----><!--]--><!----><\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--]--><!----><!--]--><!--[--><!----><!--[--><!--[!--><!----><\/p>\n<p class=\"g-text g-body-text svelte-i37gsg g-text_last\"><!--[--><!---->Even with their bases in the Gulf hit and NATO airspace breached, European leaders are trying to stay out of the conflict. But brutal economic realities may change their calculus, analysts say. A severe disruption to the global energy supply is \u201cthe most likely issue to draw in other powers,\u201d said Robert Johnson, the director of the Changing Character of War Center at Oxford University<!----><!--]--><!----><\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--]--><!----><!--]--><!--[--><!----><!--[--><!--[!--><!----><\/p>\n<p class=\"g-text g-body-text svelte-i37gsg g-text_last\"><!--[--><!---->With so many actors already involved, the war could quickly unfold in other directions. \u201cTehran does not have control over the escalation dynamics \u2014  no one has control,\u201d Ms. Yacoubian said.<!----><!--]--><!----><\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--]--><!----><!--]--><!--[--><!----><!--[--><!--[!--><!----><\/p>\n<p class=\"g-text g-body-text svelte-i37gsg g-text_last\"><!--[--><!---->It has already spawned a parallel front in Lebanon, where a fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militia, has been shattered. And analysts warn that another Iranian ally, the Houthi militia in Yemen, might also join the conflict. If it does, it could create a second global trade chokepoint by stepping up its threats to shipping through the Red Sea.<!----><!--]--><!----><\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--]--><!----><!--]--><!--[--><!----><!--[--><!--[!--><!----><\/p>\n<p class=\"g-text g-body-text svelte-i37gsg g-text_last\"><!--[--><!---->As the conflict expands the prospect of a negotiated settlement remains remote.<!----><!--]--><!----><\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--]--><!----><!--]--><!--[--><!----><!--[--><!--[!--><!----><\/p>\n<p class=\"g-text g-body-text svelte-i37gsg g-text_last\"><!--[--><!---->\u201cIt\u2019s very hard to see where the space for creative diplomatic off-ramps is,\u201d Ms. Yacoubian said. \u201cI fear this has to get worse before it can get better.\u201d<!----><!--]--><!----><\/p>\n<p><!----><!--]--><!--]--><!----><!--]--><!--]--><!----><!----><!----><!--]--> <!--[!--><!--]--><!--]--><\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many forces have pulled reluctant nations into war throughout history. Countries may feel they must act to protect vital economic interests, like access to basic resources and shipping routes. Others&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":771,"featured_media":8225,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Gravity of the War in Iran - Frisco Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/friscotimes.org\/?p=8224\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Gravity of the War in Iran - Frisco Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Many forces have pulled reluctant nations into war throughout history. 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