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The event eventually died down, and the Iranians went out of their
way to minimize its importance. But two points nevertheless were made.
The first was that Iran might not wait for Washington to consider all
possible scenarios. The second was that the Iranians know how to raise
oil prices. And with that lesson, they reminded the Americans that the
Iranians have a degree of control over the economic recovery in the
United States.

There has never been any doubt that Iran has options in the event
that the United States chooses to strike. Significantly, the Iranians
now have driven home that they might initiate a conflict if they assume
conflict is inevitable.