Survival as strategy

Persian proverb goes, ‘A river cuts through rock not because of its power, but because of its persistence.’ True to that maxim, Iran has demonstrated its stubborn capacity to endure weathering sanctions and military pressure while boldly refusing to bend to external coercion. The assassination of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, in US–Israeli strikes on 28 February has hardened Iran’s narrative of resistance. Tehran now frames the war as an existential struggle for the survival of the Islamic Republic. The escalation underscores Iran’s resilience within its political system, the persistence of its domestic support and the strategic logic of survival through asymmetric warfare, while the escalation simultaneously exposes a troubling disarray in Washington’s strategic objectives. A favourite tactic of war […]