Hardliners hellbent on retaliation grab power in Iran

ON JUNE 23rd Iran’s regime ignored President Donald Trump’s warnings and attacked American military bases in Qatar and Iraq. Missiles could be seen over skyscrapers in Doha, Qatar’s capital. While the damage and casualties appear minimal, the war has reached the Gulf, whose glimmering cities offer an alternative vision of the Middle East and whose energy the world needs. The escalation outside of Iran reflects a sudden, ominous power shift inside it. Belligerent hardliners are grabbing power from clerics. That could mean the regime becomes more extreme, not more pragmatic, under the pressure of a devastating military campaign.