A poster of Qassem Suleimani and Fouad Shukur held in the southern suburbs of Beirut on August 6, 2024. (Credit: Mohammed Yassin)
American diplomats have been working relentlessly over the past week to prevent a regional escalation following the assassination of Hezbollah leader Fouad Shukur in Beirut and head of Hamas’ politburo Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.These efforts may be beginning to show results. Washington is focused on two key objectives: coordinating Iran’s response to minimize its impact while allowing Tehran to save face — as it did in April — and pressuring key actors to achieve a cease-fire in Gaza — which could have ripple effects throughout the region.Regarding the first point, Iran remains adamant not to forgo its response, according to several diplomatic sources who spoke with L’Orient-Le Jour. The “delay” is due to three key considerations: giving negotiations a chance to yield a cease-fire; carefully calibrating the response to restore its...
American diplomats have been working relentlessly over the past week to prevent a regional escalation following the assassination of Hezbollah leader Fouad Shukur in Beirut and head of Hamas’ politburo Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.These efforts may be beginning to show results. Washington is focused on two key objectives: coordinating Iran’s response to minimize its impact while allowing Tehran to save face — as it did in April — and pressuring key actors to achieve a cease-fire in Gaza — which could have ripple effects throughout the region.Regarding the first point, Iran remains adamant not to forgo its response, according to several diplomatic sources who spoke with L’Orient-Le Jour. The “delay” is due to three key considerations: giving negotiations a chance to yield a cease-fire; carefully calibrating the response to...