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Source: Getty

In The Media

Failure of Leadership in Iran

Iran's recent missile tests have heightened speculation that the U.S. or Israeli will mount a military operation against it. Carnegie's Karim Sadjadpour appeared on PBS' Foreign Exchange to argue that the likelihood of such an attack is slim.

Link Copied
By Karim Sadjadpour
Published on Jul 13, 2008

Iran's recent missile tests have heightened speculation that the U.S. or Israeli will mount a military operation against it. Carnegie's Karim Sadjadpour, appeared on PBS' Foreign Exchange arguing the likelihood of such an attack is slim because Iran plays key roles in many of the U.S. and EU's main foreign policy concerns in the Middle East.

Sadjapour believes that Iranian President Ahmadinejad takes this increasingly confrontational stance against the West as a way to distract domestic attention away from his failed economic policies.

As Sadjadpour notes, "When [Iran] issues... blusterous rhetoric, and the U.S. decides to respond... with its own blusterous rhetoric, oil prices go up and it's more money for Iran."

About the Author

Karim Sadjadpour

Senior Fellow, Middle East Program

Karim Sadjadpour is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he focuses on Iran and U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East.

    Recent Work

  • Q&A
    What’s Keeping the Iranian Regime in Power—for Now

      Aaron David Miller, Karim Sadjadpour, Robin Wright

  • Q&A
    How Washington and Tehran Are Assessing Their Next Steps

      Aaron David Miller, David Petraeus, Karim Sadjadpour

Karim Sadjadpour
Senior Fellow, Middle East Program
Karim Sadjadpour
SecurityMilitaryForeign PolicyNuclear PolicyNorth AmericaUnited StatesMiddle EastIranIsrael

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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