CNN: Iran’s new leaders are taking risks that their predecessors avoided Politics news

CNN described the Iranian strikes on Israel this week as “one of its boldest attempts yet to redraw the boundaries of the confrontation it has fought for decades through proxies, covert operations, and carefully calculated responses.”

A report published by the network on its official website added that Tehran – by targeting Israel in response to the attacks in Lebanon – sent a signal that its red lines no longer stop at its national borders, and that its leaders are ready to bear greater risks.

The network confirmed that Iran has repeatedly accused Israel and the United States of undermining the truce through military action. The United States carried out strikes on Iranian targets even as indirect negotiations continued. Meanwhile, Israel launched nearly 3,500 strikes in Lebanon including the capital, Beirut, despite restrictions imposed by the ceasefire.

Iran responded with a series of retaliatory strikes against US and Gulf targets, warning at the same time that if diplomacy failed, it was prepared to resume the war and expand it beyond the Persian Gulf, which could threaten shipping routes extending from the Indian Ocean to the Red Sea and the Mediterranean.

Last night, there was renewed exchange of fire between the United States and Iran following the downing of a US Army helicopter earlier in the week, underscoring the ongoing instability across the region.

New transformation

However, this week’s strikes on Israel appeared to represent a step further, as Tehran hinted that Israeli military action against its regional allies could also lead to a direct Iranian response.

Iran has insisted that it will not allow Israel and the United States to continue their attacks while claiming to adhere to a ceasefire that Tehran says is repeatedly violated. Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei said, “Iran will not accept such an arrangement under any circumstances.”

According to a CNN report, this move signals a broader shift in Tehran, as a new generation of leaders increasingly abandons the cautious approach that has long defined the Islamic Republic’s strategy toward its opponents. Instead of relying primarily on deterrence and strategic patience, they now seem more willing to take risks and use Iran’s military, economic, and regional influence to shape events in the Middle East.

It is also the same Iranian leadership that US President Donald Trump described as “much more rational” and “largely logical.”

Aaron David Miller, a former US Middle East peace negotiator, told CNN: “The Iranians have put the Israelis and the United States in a bind now. They are willing to take risks, they think they are winning, and they do not see a ceasefire as serving their interests.”

Careful and thoughtful responses

According to the report, Iran, under the leadership of former guide Ali Khamenei, preferred cautious and measured responses to the American and Israeli escalation, citing the first Trump administration’s assassination in 2020 of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, at which point Iran launched a missile strike on an American air base in Iraq after issuing warnings that gave American forces time to take cover.

In June 2025, when the United States joined Israel in attacking Iran, Tehran again chose a proportional response, indicating that, despite its fiery rhetoric, it still saw escalation management as essential.

On the other hand, this week’s strikes on Israel indicate that these calculations may be in the process of changing, according to Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for International Studies (the American foreign policy research institute).

Parsi says, “This is the first time in decades that a regional power has the means, ability, and desire to use hard power against Israeli military maneuvers or aggression against a third party.”

Following the attack, Iran warned that it was prepared to “raise the level of tension” to challenge what it described as Israeli and American assumptions about the limits of its response.

Tasnim Agency, which is close to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, quoted an unnamed military source as saying, “If the Israelis and Americans imagine that through ‘controlled tension’ they can make Iran and the Resistance Front anticipate steps in confronting their crimes, or limit the nature of the Iranian response, then they are committing a foolish mistake.”

In turn, Danny Citrinovic, the former head of the Iranian branch of Israeli military intelligence, told CNN, “Tehran seeks to create a new equation aimed at preventing Israel from acting not only against Iran itself, but also against its network of agents in the region.”

He added, “The events of the past 24 hours have proven once again that Iran’s current leadership increasingly believes that everything that cannot be achieved through diplomacy can ultimately be achieved using force.”

Exploiting cracks

CNN believes that Iran is testing the American-Israeli alliance and exploiting the growing differences between the two countries over the endgame in this conflict. Trump has publicly disagreed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on several occasions in recent weeks, insisting that a diplomatic agreement with Tehran is within reach and emphasizing that Israel “will have no choice” but to accept it.

This strategy may have paid off. After Iran attacked Israel on Monday, Trump moved quickly to prevent further escalation, speaking to Netanyahu twice within hours in an attempt to dissuade him from responding.

Baghaei, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, said that Washington “bears responsibility” for Israel’s actions, and warned that they would “inevitably” affect the diplomatic process. Meanwhile, an Israeli military official confirmed that American forces played no role in the attacks on Iran, although they had helped intercept incoming Iranian missiles.

Iran may have succeeded in forcing Washington to choose between supporting Israel’s freedom of military action and maintaining the diplomatic track with Tehran.

Aaron David Miller said that Trump’s pressure on Netanyahu “added another trump card to Iran’s balance,” referring to Tehran’s new influence.