US war on Iran: 'A game of high risk, high reward' for both Trump and the Islamic Republic

Mark Owen is pleased to welcome Behnam Ben Taleblu, Iran Program Senior Director and Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He presents the escalating confrontation between Iran and the United States as a dangerous and evolving contest of “high risk, high reward.” He argues that Tehran is actively probing Washington’s tolerance for escalation: “the Islamic Republic is looking at the play to the edge here to see how risk averse versus how risk tolerant the Trump administration is.” In Ben Taleblu’s account, the conflict is not merely military or economic, but psychological and performative: a contest over leverage, narratives, and perceived resolve.

May 7, 2026 - 08:00
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US war on Iran: 'A game of high risk, high reward' for both Trump and the Islamic Republic
Mark Owen is pleased to welcome Behnam Ben Taleblu, Iran Program Senior Director and Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He presents the escalating confrontation between Iran and the United States as a dangerous and evolving contest of “high risk, high reward.” He argues that Tehran is actively probing Washington’s tolerance for escalation: “the Islamic Republic is looking at the play to the edge here to see how risk averse versus how risk tolerant the Trump administration is.” In Ben Taleblu’s account, the conflict is not merely military or economic, but psychological and performative: a contest over leverage, narratives, and perceived resolve.

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