Mentions and Appearances by Suzanne Maloney

But now they [Iranians] see that he [President Trump] is not going to follow through on the bluff that he has carried out on behalf of the American people.

US inaction will be perceived as weakness...Let me be clear: I’m not advocating war. The point is that [Trump] engaged in a stupid, unnecessary, incredibly dangerous bluff and the Iranians have called him on it.

I'm skeptical that this will generate a significant shift in the US position on Iran...O'Brien has solid credentials and a reputation for responsible, centrist positions. And I'm not sure how much any of the men in these positions have really mattered when it comes to shaping the president's instincts on high-profile policies.

The president is more combative on Twitter than he is to initiating military action...He has an excellent political radar and he recognizes that there is no appetite among Americans for another costly protracted military intervention in the Middle East.

[T]here is zero likelihood that an attack of this nature and this precision was undertaken without the assent and awareness of Iran’s senior leadership.

[T]he most urgent priority is for the United States to establish a credible case around the origins of the attack...This is critical not simply for devising an effective response and ensuring robust co-ordination with allies and partners, but also for reinforcing deterrence against any future attacks.

 

It’s credible that the Iranians had something to do with this...We’ll have to wait and see how they’ll [the administration] marshal the evidence.

Lifting the sanctions is Iran’s immediate goal...It would be consistent with Iran’s diplomatic strategy to dangle a meeting and then retract it in hopes of driving up the potential payoff.

Tehran has detained a growing number of foreign nationals on bogus charges, including several academics...Given these risks and today’s threats aimed at a U.S. NGO and its staff, all academic and research organizations should seriously reassess their engagement with Iranian government institutions.

The Trump administration is facing a fork in the road with respect to its own policy...[the US has] deployed an enormous amount of pressure on Iran [and is] well prepared to keep that in place for as long as they deem it necessary... [as long as Washington] can avoid escalation and an eruption of a military conflict.