The United States mistook Iran's “flexibility” for weakness

Abbas Aslani, a senior researcher at the Middle East Strategic Research Centre, based in Tehran, stated that, despite a series of attacks by Iran on the territory of its Gulf neighbours, it was still seeking to restore relations with those countries. He stated that “the actions taken by Iran were the same as before the war, i.e. through diplomatic negotiations and related channels, to try to reach a negotiated settlement”. He added: “There is a misreading and prejudice in the United States and the West that Iran interprets as a sign of weakness whenever it displays some flexibility.” Such a posture “may have an inducing effect and may even be seen as a `red carpet' for further attacks against Iran”. Aslani noted that, despite the escalation, Iran has been trying to limit the scope and scale of its response to United States operations. “Iranian officials held a number of consultations with their counterparts in the region aimed at restoring relations. Israel and the United States do not like this because they are trying to create a division between Iran and its neighbours.” Kim Xian