Iran keeps the Middle East in suspense

Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, meets with Russian Security Council's Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Tehran, Iran August 5, 2024.
Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, meets with Russian Security Council's Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Tehran, Iran August 5, 2024.
Reuters

For days, the Middle East has been bracing to see how Iran and its proxies will retaliate for recent strikes in Tehran and Beirut. The attack in Tehran, which Iran blamed on Israel, killed Hamas’s political leader, while the strike in Beirut, which the Jewish state claimed responsibility for, took out a top Hezbollah commander.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday reportedly warned fellow G7 diplomats that an attack on Israel by Iran and Hezbollah could be imminent.

Hezbollah on Monday launched a drone attack in northern Israel that wounded two Israeli troops, but this was part of the “normal tit-for-tat that we’ve seen” between the Iran-backed militant group and Jewish state since Oct. 7, says Gregory Brew, a senior analyst and Iran expert at Eurasia Group. A larger retaliatory attack on Israel is still expected.

On Monday morning, Iran issued a warning to airlines that there could be GPS disruptions, but it’s unclear if this was tied to any plans for a strike. Meanwhile, Sergei Shoigu, the secretary of Russia’s security council, was in Tehran on Monday just days after Moscow urged all parties to avoid actions that could lead to a wider war.

What’s Iran waiting for? Tehran feels compelled to retaliate but also wants to respond in a way that doesn’t spark a broader war.

Iran needs time to prepare “for what is sure to be a complicated operation.” says Brew, and there are “are likely debates going on within Tehran over how exactly to respond to Israel’s provocation.”

The doctrine of strategic patience is also likely at work, adds Brew, “with Iran’s leaders taking their time to issue a response, keeping the region in suspense and amping up the psychological warfare in advance of the strike.”

More from GZERO Media

- YouTube

If China, Japan, and South Korea formed a united front, what kind of leverage would they have in negotiating against US tariffs? I think they are heading in that trajectory. The question is, will it be enough to keep Syria stable and away from descending into civil war? Why does Trump want to take Greenland? Ian Bremmer shares his insights on global politics this week on World In :60.

President Donald Trump, seen here on the South Lawn of the White House in February, is set to unveil his "Liberation Day" tariffs.

REUTERS/Craig Hudson

T-Day has arrived. On Wednesday afternoon, Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs on US trade partners will take effect immediately after a Rose Garden announcement.

A giant screen in Beijing shows news footage about the People's Liberation Army (PLA) joint army, navy, air and rocket forces drills around Taiwan on April 1, 2025.
REUTERS/Florence Lo

Beijing conducted one of the largest and most provocative military drills ever around the island -- but why now?

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy speaks during a briefing, Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 28, 2025.
Ukrinform/ABACA via Reuters Connect

Vladimir Putin insists that Volodymyr Zelensky is no longer Ukraine’s legitimate president because his government has imposed martial law and delayed elections that were due in 2024.

President Donald Trump speaks from the Oval Office flanked by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on the day he signed executive orders for reciprocal tariffs, Feb. 13, 2025.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Details of a group chat between senior administration officials that leaked last week – the so-called Houthi PC small group – provide allies, adversaries, and watchers with revealing insights into the administration’s foreign policy blueprint. Lindsay Newman explores the takeaways.

Proud Source became a Walmart supplier in 2021. Today, its team has grown by 50%, and it's the largest employer in Mackay, ID. Walmart supports small businesses across the country, and nearly two-thirds of Walmart's product spend is on products made, grown, or assembled in America. It’s all a part of Walmart’s $350 billion investment in US manufacturing, which helps small businesses grow and supports US jobs. Learn more about Walmart’s commitment to US manufacturing.

As Microsoft celebrates its 50th anniversary, Vice Chair and President Brad Smith sits down with company cofounder Bill Gates for a special episode of Tools and Weapons. They discuss Gates’ new memoir, "Source Code: My Beginnings," reflect on Microsoft’s impact over the past five decades, and explore why the next phase of the digital revolution is shaping up to be the most exciting yet. Subscribe and find new episodes monthly, wherever you listen to podcasts.