A former British ambassador to Iran, and former Chair of the UK’s Joint intelligence Committee, says “it was always clear to those of us who followed Iran that if the Iranian regime felt that it was in an existential struggle, it would use all of the tools at its disposal to fight back. And it was also very clear that one of those tools was disruption of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, adding that “it is puzzling if that was not properly factored in to Washington’s conclusions.”
Asked about the biggest misunderstanding or misconception about Iran, Sir Simon Gass says: I think, on the United States part, it was the fact that the Iranian regime, although it is not supported necessarily by even a majority of the Iranian population these days, it is nevertheless very networked, very robust and very determined.