Reduce tensions, war is not an option

The last thing the world now needs is war. US President Donald Trump has downplayed tensions with Iran, reiterating his reluctance to see the dispute escalate. When Iran shot down a US spy drone last week, plans for a retaliatory strike were shelved at the eleventh hour because the resulting casualties would not be 'proportionate'. But Iran has remained belligerent with its naval commander threatening to shoot down any American spy drone that violates Iranian airspace. Iran has been flouting its obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty, and last year the US withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal - known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action - on the grounds that it was a flawed agreement which failed to ensure Tehran would be incapacitated to acquire nuclear weapons. The US has since been employing a 'maximum economic pressure' campaign targeting Iran's petroleum, financial, automotive and transportation sectors which Tehran has decried as "economic terrorism".

Attacks on an airport in Saudi Arabia by Yemen's Iranian-allied Houthi rebels have seen tensions mount in the region with Riyadh calling it cross-border terrorism. Fresh tensions arising out of the Iranian downing of the US drone have resulted in US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo making a hastily arranged visit to Saudi Arabia and the UAE on Monday even as a fresh round of sanctions were announced in a bid to force Iran into talks. Pompeo, a hard-liner in the Trump administration, aims to strategically align with the two major Gulf nations and to further this by forming a global coalition against Iran. The US has to support its regional allies, confront Iran's aggression and ensure that Tehran can never acquire a nuclear weapons capability. To this end, it needs to crank up economic, diplomatic and political pressure on Iran. At the same time, Washington has to keep its doors open for dialogue should the regime have a change of heart. Trump has announced his keenness to pursue the path of peace saying that he could become Iran's friend and help turn around its crippled economy if Tehran mends its ways. A détente between Iran and the US, though far-fetched, would offer a welcome breathing space on a variety of issues plaguing the region and the world. De-escalation must be the only option on Pompeo's mind. It's time to cool off.