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US Pushing Contrasting Assessments of Iran Threat

Jeff Seldin

   WASHINGTON - Escalating tensions between the United States and Iran are
   exposing potentially contrasting U.S. assessments of the threat Tehran
   represents to Washington and its allies and interests in the region.

   The narratives coming from top officials at the White House, the
   Pentagon and the State Department portray an Iranian regime that is
   either weaker and more desperate or more brazen and emboldened.

   The extent to which one of those narratives may be more accurate could
   be crucial in determining what happens next as Tehran seems intent on
   pushing back against the U.S. and its allies, following its
   announcement Monday that it had produced more low-enriched uranium than
   allowed under the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive
   Plan of Action (JCPOA).

   "They know what they're doing," U.S. President Donald Trump told
   reporters Monday in response to Tehran's move. "They're playing with
   fire."

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