Iranian retaliation against the American air strikes ordered by President Donald Trump is inevitable, despite a diplomatic backchannel message from Washington to Tehran before the attack that it was intended as a one-off, according to analysts.
The only uncertainty, Middle East experts say, is how the Islamic republic will balance its responses so as to preserve the regime and show its potency within the region – if only to buy enough time to clandestinely build nuclear warheads.
“Trump just…
