Mona Yacoubian
At some point—whether sooner or later—major hostilities against Iran will come to an end. When the formal war with Iran concludes, Israel may hope that the United States would agree to pivot to a “mowing the grass” strategy against Iran—periodic attacks to degrade Iran’s missile and drone capabilities and keep Tehran off balance. Yet this approach will not work. Instead, it will lay the foundation for prolonged regional instability and global disruption.
In search of an Iran war off-ramp, President Trump has signaled his desire for an exit strategy—whether through a successful ceasefire negotiation or by some other, yet to be announced, deus ex machina. His claims of regime change, entombed enriched uranium, and a devastated Iranian military set the stage for a near-term U.S. withdrawal from the conflict. Yet, the president has also highlighted the possibility that the United States could return to undertake “spot hits” on Iran as needed. In practice, such a plan could easily evolve into “mowing the grass” in Iran, enduring low-intensity conflict punctuated by more intensive interventions.
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