Bangladesh, March 4 -- The trajectory of Irans current military escalation against Gulf states reflects a profound strategic miscalculation-one that risks eroding Tehrans diplomatic capital, widening regional fault lines and inviting consequences that may ultimately weaken Iran itself. A careful examination of the unfolding crisis reveals that alternative pathways were available to Tehran, pathways that could have preserved political sympathy across the Arab world while strengthening its negotiating leverage. Instead, the decision to widen the theater of confrontation has placed the entire Gulf region on the brink of dangerous instability.

To understand the gravity of the moment, consider a counterfactual scenario. When US and Israeli fo...