The Middle East Situation

The Iraqi raid on Sirri has clearly raised tension in the Gulf by several notches. It has prompted fears of escalated hostilities between Iran and Iraq, and of redoubled Iranian efforts to retaliate against shipping on the Arab side of the Gulf. Perhaps the most important question is whether a sustained disruption of its oil exports might push Iran into unleashing the major battlefront offensive which has been in the making for some time. Iraq has been seeking...