January 06, 2020

Even Tehran Probably Doesn’t Want a War
(Bloomberg) -- Want to receive this post in your inbox every day? Sign up for the Balance of Power newsletter, and follow Bloomberg Politics on Twitter and Facebook for more.WWIII and IranWar hashtags trending on Twitter. Donald Trump committing more soldiers to the Middle East despite his pledges to bring more troops home. Are we about to step into a war?The U.S. killing outside Baghdad’s airport of Qassem Soleimani, a general who ran Iran’s proxy operations across the Middle East, is reverberating through the region. Iraq’s parliament has voted to pursue the removal of foreign troops — raising the question of whether Soleimani in death will achieve his goal of getting U.S. soldiers out of Iraq.The sudden decision to kill Soleimani, whom the U.S. had been tracking for years, could also impact the fight to mop up what remains of Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. And most immediately, it risks reprisals.Tehran, economically weakened by sanctions, has for years run a carefully calibrated campaign of attacks via proxies in the Middle East: enough to remind everyone it’s there, but not enough to provoke a full-scale retaliation.Its leaders knew where the line is. The question is whether Soleimani’s death takes them over it.One argument for restraint from Tehran is that Trump is already facing a backlash at home and, at best, lukewarm support abroad for the killing.There’s little appetite anywhere to push this into a full-scale conflict. That could change quickly if Iran were to attack U.S. assets — and Tehran knows it. Trump, who has adopted an unpredictable foreign policy, has threatened to hit Iran “very fast and very hard.” It’s just possible he means it.Global HeadlinesTrump and 2020 | Trump’s acquittal by the Republican-controlled Senate is a sure bet this year, but his re-election isn’t. No president has ever run in a general election after being impeached, so there’s no precedent for how at least 150 million U.S. voters will respond. And as Gregory Korte reports, the uncertainty has only increased after Trump ordered the air strike that killed Iran’s top general. Backing Biden | Front-running presidential candidate Joe Biden secured the backing of three U.S. House Democrats with military backgrounds, all elected since Trump took office. The endorsements may boost the former vice president’s efforts to stress his security credentials as he pledges to bolster support for his party in swing districts.French defiance | French unions are preparing for two more days of street protests — with some planning further radical action — as strikes against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension-reform plans enter a second month. The unrest is the biggest challenge to Macron’s efforts to overhaul France’s economy and has run longer than the 1995 stoppages that forced the government to back down from changes to retirement and health care.President rejected | Croatian voters shot down President Kolinda Grabar Kitarovic’s bid for a second term, electing former Premier Zoran Milanovic in a runoff ballot. Milanovic, who led the nation into the European Union in 2013, prevailed over a nationalist campaign from Kitarovic, whose popularity fell due to her links to the scandal-plagued mayor of Zagreb.Australia’s nightmare | Summers Down Under weren’t meant to be like this — thousands evacuated to makeshift camps as their homes burn, major cities shrouded in toxic smoke and at least two dozen people dead. While exhausted firefighters welcomed cooler weather and patchy rain today, authorities are warning that a return to dangerous conditions this week will rekindle dozens of out-of-control blazes.What to WatchThe struggle for power in Venezuela is spiraling deeper into chaos after Juan Guaido was ousted as the president of the National Assembly by lawmakers who broke ties with main opposition parties, and supporters of President Nicolas Maduro. Condemning the move as a parliamentary coup, Guaido vowed to return to the chamber tomorrow to continue his efforts to remove Maduro. Masked assailants stormed India’s Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi yesterday in a violent attack on students and academics that risks escalating protests against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government over its new religion-based citizenship law. The Ministry of Home Affairs has ordered a probe into the violence. China has replaced its top official in Hong Kong, appointing a trusted party stalwart who has promised to bring stability after nearly seven months of violent protests in a move that could herald the beginning of a more hard-line policy.Tell us how we’re doing or what we’re missing at balancepower@bloomberg.net.And finally ... Japan vowed to strengthen its border checks and examine bail practices to prevent lapses like the one that allowed fallen auto titan Carlos Ghosn to flee the country without being detected. It’s the first time a government official has addressed the media since reports emerged last week that the former chief of Nissan Motor and Renault SA had secretly made his way to Lebanon despite round-the-clock surveillance. \--With assistance from Jason Scott and Iain Marlow.To contact the author of this story: Rosalind Mathieson in London at rmathieson3@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Ruth Pollard at rpollard2@bloomberg.net, Michael WinfreyFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
Related Stories
Latest News
Top news around the world
Academy Awards

‘Oppenheimer’ Reigns at Oscars With Seven Wins, Including Best Picture and Director

Get the latest news about the 2024 Oscars, including nominations, winners, predictions and red carpet fashion at 96th Academy Awards

Around the World

Celebrity News

> Latest News in Media

Watch It
Olivia Munn Reveals Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Double Mastectomy Procedure | E! News
March 13, 2024
kUaEV1Kd3S0
Travis Kelce Shares Details From His Trip to Singapore With Taylor Swift | E! News
March 13, 2024
3YXi-Dgf4eg
Kate Middleton VIRAL Photo: Agency Addresses Photoshop Claims | E! News
March 13, 2024
S4VkO0TpkCY
Da'Vine Joy Randolph Plays 'Smash or Pass' With Iconic Moments From Her Career
March 13, 2024
vkPdJEF2BX4
Jean Smart Wears a Hotel Bathrobe to Present an Award to Hannah Einbinder l Power of Comedy SxSW
March 12, 2024
Bw7uVEYQev4
Lenny Kravitz Walk of Fame Ceremony
March 12, 2024
MlWq8BcnwhE
Dak Prescott Extortion Plot & Steph Curry for President? | TMZ Sports Full Ep - 3/12/24
March 13, 2024
jHFsrjs7OFY
A Japanese space rocket blew up after takeoff Tuesday, turning the sky into a fireball of smoke.
March 13, 2024
YkfJ3Qg8B7c
#KimKardashian and #BiancaCensori hung out at #KanyeWest's listening party Tuesday night!
March 13, 2024
EfwLLq6bx9k
‘Pioneer Woman’ Ree Drummond denies using Ozempic to lose 60 pounds
March 13, 2024
Omfjk1AlZ3A
Chrissy Teigen reveals her ‘boob lift scars’ in daring dress at Jay-Z & Beyoncé’s Oscars 2024 party
March 13, 2024
VxZ2qXAlpmU
Zoë Kravitz pokes fun at dad Lenny Kravitz's style during Hollywood Walk of Fame speech
March 13, 2024
j3-lcFu_1sQ
TV Schedule
Late Night Show
Watch the latest shows of U.S. top comedians

Sports

Latest sport results, news, videos, interviews and comments
Latest Events
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Atletico Madrid - Barcelona
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester United - Liverpool
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Inter Milan - Napoli
17
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Borussia Dortmund - Eintracht Frankfurt
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Chelsea - Leicester City
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Roma - Sassuolo
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Verona - AC Milan
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Juventus - Genoa
17
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
SC Freiburg - Bayer Leverkusen
17
Mar
USA: Major League Soccer
Atlanta United - Orlando City
17
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
West Ham United - Aston Villa
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Rayo Vallecano - Real Betis
17
Mar
ENGLAND: Championship
Leeds - Millwall
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Las Palmas - Almeria
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Villarreal - Valencia
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Sevilla - Celta Vigo
16
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Darmstadt - Bayern Munich
16
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester City - Newcastle United
16
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Fulham - Tottenham Hotspur
16
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Osasuna - Real Madrid
13
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Atletico Madrid - Inter Milan
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Barcelona - Napoli
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Arsenal - Porto
11
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Chelsea - Newcastle United
10
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Liverpool - Manchester City
10
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Real Madrid - Celta Vigo
10
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Aston Villa - Tottenham Hotspur
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Juventus - Atalanta
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Fiorentina - Roma
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
AC Milan - Empoli
09
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Werder Bremen - Borussia Dortmund
09
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Arsenal - Brentford
09
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Bologna - Inter Milan
Find us on Instagram
at @feedimo to stay up to date with the latest.
Featured Video You Might Like
zWJ3MxW_HWA L1eLanNeZKg i1XRgbyUtOo -g9Qziqbif8 0vmRhiLHE2U JFCZUoa6MYE UfN5PCF5EUo 2PV55f3-UAg W3y9zuI_F64 -7qCxIccihU pQ9gcOoH9R8 g5MRDEXRk4k
Copyright © 2020 Feedimo. All Rights Reserved.