How Iran and America Could Wind Up at War

Iran's escalating activity on the territory of its western neighbor, Iraq, could end up becoming the real catalyst for a U.S.-Iranian conflict. That was the message conveyed by General Martin Dempsey, the incoming Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at his July 26th confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee. ... Iran has been allowed to wage irregular warfare against the United States and its Coalition allies for years with virtual impunity. Policymakers in Washington and European capitals, fearful of a drift into even greater regional conflict, have chosen largely to ignore Iran's provocations and keep the peace with the Islamic Republic. And as a result, Iran's leaders have become convinced that their extensive interference in Iraq is by and large a cost-free exercise. But all this could soon change. "[T]here is a high potential that Iran will make a serious miscalculation of US resolve," Gen. Dempsey told lawmakers in Congress. "As long as we've got those soldiers there, we're going to do whatever we have to do to protect them." Doing so could lead inexorably to conflict with the Islamic Republic.