Iran’s new calculus: Strike first, talk later

Interview with Al-Manitoe News, July 30, 2026 - 

“This is a game of chicken now, and the loser is the player with less courage,” said Sasan Karimi, professor of Iranian studies at the University of Tehran. “Iran wants to show that [it] can define the equations of escalation, and not react only to the decisions that are made in DC.”