Foreign Policy Live A Debate Over the War in Iran
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Mar 12, 2026 
Trita Parsi, Quincy Institute executive vice president and Iran policy critic, and Matthew Kroenig, Atlantic Council director and former Defense official, debate the recent war in Iran. They clash over whether military strikes were justified. They discuss legitimacy under international law, the role of diplomacy, regional stability, and consequences for Iranian politics and U.S. credibility.
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Iran As A Longstanding Multifaceted Threat
- Matthew Kroenig argues Iran is a longstanding, multifaceted threat combining state-sponsored terrorism, ballistic missiles, and a nuclear program.
- He claims weakening or removing the Islamic Republic would improve regional and global security and lives of ordinary Iranians.
Require Imminence Before Military Action
- Trita Parsi insists the U.S. should only go to war when an imminent threat exists and alternatives are exhausted.
- He argues the administration offered shifting, non-evidentiary justifications and failed to prove imminence before attacking.
Iranian Strikes Framed As Reactive Not Unprompted
- Trita acknowledges Iran can strike neighbors but frames recent attacks as responses to U.S. strikes, not unprovoked aggression.
- He warns treating capacity as automatic threat would demand eliminating all Iranian military capability, an unrealistic aim.