alt Hacker NewsWhat would targeting NYC help Iran? Aren't there more interesting targets they could go for which would take advantage of the inflamed political situation in the US?
I think it's much more likely that they would strike back at a regional ally if anything. Keeping some of their cards hidden and not risking a unifying shock to the US populace
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> What would targeting NYC help Iran?
I don’t think modelling Iran as a monolithic political actor works anymore.
Between the IRGC, President, clerical ranks and others, I’m sure, some groups may benefit from striking New York or even inviting American retaliation in ways that don’t make sense for the country as a whole.
Probably similar reasons for Iraq targeting NYC in 2001
> What would targeting NYC help Iran?
Destroy the infidels? Of course it doesn't exactly help anyone, but at least that's what their leadership keeps telling Iranians.
https://nolabels.org/the-latest/irans-leaders-still-hate-ame...
Iran's leaders are caught in a trap of their own making. For decades they've held up America and Israel as villains and used that boogeyman to justify their military and police expenditure.
After this Israel-Gaza war, Iran's proxies who fought Israel on their behalf (Hamas, Hezbollah) are mostly destroyed. Their allies in the Gulf States (Qatar) have buckled to US pressure over the war. When they've tried to strike Israel directly, combined US-Israeli antimissile defenses stopped it dead in its tracks. Now hundreds of thousands of protestors are thronging the streets and the regime realizes it cannot kill or jail all of them.
In short, Iran has realized that its conventional military will not be able to prop up the regime if anyone decides to attack or arm a rebellion.
That's the motivation for this. The hateful theocratic rulers of Iran see the US as a bigger threat, and are chasing a nuclear weapon as the one they might actually get some protection with.