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Source: https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/04/22/are-we-paying-attention-to-irans-strategy/
Are We Paying Attention to Iran's Strategy?
(Algemeiner) Shoshana Bryen - The common belief is that Iran's original goal was nuclear capability, either to prevent the U.S. from attacking it (the North Korea strategy) or to use it against the Great and the Little Satan. Perhaps. But the mullahs had/have a second strategic goal - which appears to be working quite well: The undermining and elimination of political, military, economic, and social ties between the U.S. and what has always been their alliance base: primarily NATO, the EU, and the UN, but also the Gulf Arab states and parts of South America. The horrors of Oct. 7 were not designed to destroy Israel. Neither Iran nor Hamas believed it could do that, even if Hizbullah had helped. After years of relatively small-scale attacks and limited Israeli responses followed by ceasefires, this monstrosity was designed to ensure massive Israeli retaliation that would produce a significant political cost on the Jewish state. The Iranian and Hamas objective against Israel was achieved. France, the UK, Canada, Australia, Italy, the EU as a body, Denmark, and many more all pulled away from Jerusalem. (Norway, Spain, and Ireland were always hostile, so they don't count.) Israeli and American intelligence were monitoring the enrichment of Iranian uranium beyond Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) limits and ballistic missile ranges beyond UN sanctions. As Iran's capabilities grew, the margins narrowed. And the U.S. and Israel found themselves in a war they didn't ask for, didn't want, but have to win. Unfortunately, the allied response in Europe and across the world produced the diplomatic response Iran wanted. The more European countries and institutions, plus the UN, castigate and punish Israel and the U.S., the happier the mullahs and the Revolutionary Guards Corps are. The histrionic anti-American, anti-Israel, and antisemitic caterwauling has Iran claiming it is winning. The writer is Senior Director of the Jewish Policy Center.