A Weakened Iran Prepares to Face Trump 2.0

Wall Street Journal: “The new U.S. administration plans to increase sanctions on Iran as part of an aggressive effort to contain its support for militant groups in the Middle East. Tehran’s strategy, less potent than it was, still threatens Washington’s allies and partners, especially Israel, and is also unpopular among many ordinary Iranians. President-elect Donald Trump’s team is also weighing options, including airstrikes, to keep Iran from building a nuclear weapon.”

“Iran’s economy has already been crippled by a mix of bad management, corruption and existing sanctions. Power shortages have shut down government offices, schools and universities and disrupted production at dozens of manufacturing plants. At the same time, Iran’s military threat has been blunted by Israel’s battering of allies Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, the now-collapsed Assad regime in Syria and much of Iran’s air defenses.”