Current U.S. and Israeli strategy in the war on Iran is fully in line with their decades-old policy:

They've never managed to get the Iranian regime to capitulate to their terms, so they've imposed collective punishment on the entirety of Iranian society and its infrastructure.

First with sanctions, now with war. 🧵 Right now steel factories, water sources, pharmaceutical companies, universities, shipping ports, bridges, and hospitals are being directly destroyed by U.S. and Israeli strikes.

But before, the strategy was:

Starve and immiserate Iranians and bring them to the point of such utter desperation that they – utterly defenseless – confront their own violently repressive government with the equivalent of pitchforks.

Then, watch as the government murders and jails protesters to maintain its grip on power in a horrific crackdown.

Then, feast on Iranians' post-crackdown trauma via anti-regime news outlets, increase sanctions, and drive them to the streets to be massacred again.

Rinse and repeat.

Eventually, when desperation reaches fever-pitch, encourage them to see foreign-backed regime change – via war – as the only option left.

Had dinner at @Sofreh_Brooklyn last night, my favorite Iranian restaurant in America (and home to some of the best Ghormeh Sabzi, Kashk-e Bademjan, and Persian braised lamb this side of the Atlantic). I see this place — its ambiance, its food, and the community it’s fostered — as a loving monument to our heritage in New York City. If eating outside is within your comfort zone, def pay them a visit.