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| By The Free Press |
It’s Thursday, February 19. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: Is social media really addictive? Are property taxes about to skyrocket in New York City? And more.
But first: Is the U.S. heading to war with Iran?
President Donald Trump may not yet have made up his mind over whether to attack Iran as American diplomats look to make a last-minute deal with the Islamic Republic. But there are reportedly already enough U.S. forces in the region to commence a war as soon as Saturday.
In the Persian Gulf, two American carrier groups are poised to strike Iran, with additional refueling planes and troop and cargo carriers moving into position. Yet negotiations still continue over Iran’s nuclear capabilities, as Washington looks for a deal that would help avoid a lengthy and highly risky military commitment in the Middle East. At this precarious moment, Michael Doran reports on whether war with Iran is inevitable, how it could play out, and why Tehran acts with such confidence when dealing with the U.S.
“Iran operates on a different theory of war,” he writes. “It celebrates steadfastness. Civilian deaths and military losses are tragic but acceptable. Time is an ally. Conflict with the United States is not a technical dispute to be solved through compromise but a prolonged ideological struggle. No single round is decisive.”
How should Trump approach such an adversary? Michael has some ideas.
Meanwhile, inside Iran, protesters who courageously stood up to the regime in January are mourning their dead. In The Free Press today, foreign correspondent Amy Kellogg reports on ceremonies taking place across Iran in place of weddings, birthday parties, and other milestones.
“They are desperate celebrations of young lives lost in the deadly demonstrations last month,” she writes. “Marking 40 days since death is important in Iranian culture. And these ‘40ths’ are becoming a sort of revolution in themselves—and an opportunity for another wave of protests could rise out of the grief.”
Read her piece on how the spirit of the January protests has been rekindled in recent days, and the Iranians who say they are “angry and getting ready for the second go.”
—The Editors
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