Restraint, diplomacy only way to defuse Iran crisis

By now, it is more than obvious that Washington is doubling down on its "maximum pressure" on Teheran, and the latter is desperately trying to divert such pressure.

The escalation of mutual threats between Teheran and Washington appears inevitable. While doing nothing to advance their respective agendas, it may greatly boost the likelihood of an unintended conflict.

Washington certainly deserves blame for its withdrawal from the hard-earned nuclear deal based on unsubstantiated claims that Iran has breached the conditions of the deal. It was this rash decision that opened Pandora's box.