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Source: https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/irans-bluff-playing-a-weak-hand-like-a-winner/
Iran Bluffs Like a Winner
(Times of Israel) Haggai Carmon - Iran's economy is battered, its currency has collapsed, inflation is crushing ordinary citizens, and years of sanctions combined with war damage have left the country economically exhausted. Yet Tehran negotiates with the U.S. like a confident winner dictating terms. Iran is holding a dramatically inferior hand. But it keeps raising the stakes, staring into the eyes of its opponents and betting that they will blink first. On paper, Iran should already have collapsed, yet it remains standing. In Iranian strategic culture, endurance itself becomes a form of victory. Surviving pressure, refusing surrender, and projecting defiance are presented internally as proof of strength. Iran negotiates from weakness while attempting to project psychological strength. It is classic brinkmanship. But brinkmanship becomes dangerous when the bluffing player starts believing his own bluff. Iran's current economic trajectory is not sustainable indefinitely. In poker, weak players sometimes survive simply by convincing stronger opponents that they are willing to push the game further than anyone expected. That is Iran today.