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The Iranian Regime Thinks It Is the Winner of the War and Can Address the U.S. as an Equal
(The Times-UK) Editorial - An end to the blockading of the Strait of Hormuz that has gummed up global trade must be a good thing. But nothing has been agreed about Tehran's quest for a nuclear arsenal, and not a word has been uttered about the potency of its missiles, their stockpiles and production. Iran remains a source of instability to the Middle East, a menace not only to the freedom of navigation but to any power that seeks to restrain its geopolitical ambitions. Iran demanded an "immediate and permanent end to military operations on all fronts, including Lebanon." Israel's northern townships remain under bombardment from Hizbullah and Mr. Netanyahu is right to reserve to his country the right of self-defense. Israel's intentions in Lebanon are plain: it wants a stronger Lebanese government capable of resisting the encroachment of Hizbullah. It therefore wants the U.S. to sunder links between Iran and the terror group. But Iran has no interest in a strong government in Beirut. Its aim is not only to sap U.S. support for Israel but ultimately to achieve a complete U.S. military withdrawal from the Middle East. Having survived, at high cost, its war with the U.S. and Israel, and having chastised its Gulf neighbors, Iran now wants to revive its dream of becoming the region's leader. The negotiating process with the U.S. has instilled in the Iranian regime the delusion that it is the winner, able to address the U.S. as an equal.