With respect to the conflict between Iran and the United States, it is now possible to talk about tactical easing of tension, German journalist Jurgen Todenhofer, known for his harsh criticism of U.S. Middle East policy, told Deutschlandfunk.
Todenhofer praised Iran’s actions, while convicting U.S. President Donald Trump of the lack of a reasonable strategy. According to the expert, the current easing is due to the fact that both sides understood that if their attacks continue, a huge fire will erupt.
"I think when the Iranians threatened to strike Haifa if the Americans attack again, it became clear to everyone that this would mean a start of big war," Jurgen Todenhofer explained.
According to the journalist, Tehran’s missile attack at the U.S. air base in Iraq as an answer to Iran's top general Qasem Soleimani was smart move. "I think it’s good that Iran did not kill American soldiers. This gave Trump a chance to cancel his own threat to attack 52 Iranian sites," he said.
Answering a question about the motives that prompted the U.S. president to kill General Soleimani, Todenhofer doubted that the decision was the result of Trump's clear strategy, since he doesn't have it. "The killing of the second most important person in the second most important country in the Middle East by a drone strike - this cannot be a strategy," the expert emphasized.
"Soleimani was a tough military man, but he was very popular and would win all presidential elections - so if you kill such a person, you risk that the opponent goes crazy, you risk a terrible conflict," Jurgen Todenhofer concluded.
