On June 20, 2019, IWP Professor Rebeccah Heinrichs appeared on Fox Business to speak with Trish Regan about recent escalation with Iran. On the show, she discussed her opinion of how the Trump Administration has handled the Iranian attacks on the Norwegian and Japanese oil tankers as well as the regime shooting down an American drone.
“I think the President is actually taking the right approach towards Iran,” Prof. Heinrichs said. “He’s exercising restraint, but he’s also not taking anything off the table.”
Prof. Heinrichs examined how the recent sanctions put into place following the administration pulling out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal have put pressure on the Iranian regime and seem to have succeeded. She pointed to the fact that Iran has yet to harm any American, and if they do, the subsequent escalation will only lead to our allies and those who are neutral becoming less sympathetic towards the regime.
Explaining potential strategy for the United States going forward, Prof. Heinrichs stated that there are many diplomatic and military paths that can be taken before America is drawn into a war with Iran, naming some Iranian targets that the administration could conceivably contemplate if the U.S. believes they are encroaching upon American interests.
Prof. Heinrichs concluded the interview by saying, “The United States [is] not asking for a war; the Iranians are provoking aggression.”
Prof. Heinrichs teaches a course at The Institute of World Politics on Nuclear Deterrence and Arms Control.