Iran’s leadership is sending a complex message to its Arab Gulf State counterparts.
According to Leila Hudson, University of Arizona faculty chair and professor of Middle Eastern & North African Studies in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Iran's promise to stop sending missiles that successfully reached targets in Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates carries significant meaning.
“It's reminding them that the Americans might not always be there to protect them," she said.
Hudson explains war planners in the White House expected Iranians from different ethnic backgrounds to immediately unite and fight against the ruling government.
“That’s not in the cards, regardless of the ethnic composition of the country, in my opinion.”
Hudson explains last weekend’s response from Iran’s leaders to President Trump’s call for unconditional surrender demonstrates they know more about their people than the Trump administration does. She says the answer contrasts against what appears to be a complacent and uninformed approach by the American side in the conflict.
