Gulf conflict could spell disaster for world

Editor's Note: Tensions between the United States and Iran have escalated with Washington sending 1,000 troops to the Middle East and Teheran threatening to break the limits of how much enriched uranium it can stockpile according to the multilateral Iran nuclear deal, from which the US has withdrawn. This comes on the heels of the attack on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman a week ago. Are the heightened tensions a prelude to war, and how will the global oil market react to the developments? Two experts share their views on the issue with China Daily's Liu Jianna. Excerpts follow:

Neither US nor Iran wants a war

Despite the escalating tensions, neither the US nor Iran intends to start, or be snared into, a war, because that would prove very costly for both. Washington, it seems, is just continuing to apply maximum pressure on Teheran in a bid to force it to concede its demands on the nuclear issue. For the Iraq war, the US deployed a total of 130,000 troops over the years, which suggests that by deploying a mere 1,000 troops the US is not thinking about launching another war in the Middle East.