https://sputnikglobe.com/20260508/us-iran-calibrated-escalation-risks-sliding-into-all-out-war---expert-1124096565.html
US-Iran 'Calibrated Escalation' Risks Sliding Into All-Out War - Expert
US-Iran 'Calibrated Escalation' Risks Sliding Into All-Out War - Expert
Sputnik International
A "calibrated escalation" is likely to follow the overnight US-Iran clash in the Strait of Hormuz, veteran war correspondent Elijah J. Magnier tells Sputnik.
2026-05-08T15:16+0000
2026-05-08T15:16+0000
2026-05-08T15:16+0000
analysis
opinion
elijah j. magnier
strait of hormuz
iran
us
middle east
war
military & intelligence
missile strikes
https://cdn1.img.sputnikglobe.com/img/07ea/03/01/1123721975_0:0:3639:2047_1920x0_80_0_0_80cce9b9e45d3cd3f48dba7e0f48837a.jpg
“Return to full-scale war remains possible, but neither side appears eager for an immediate all-out confrontation,” Magnier says. Both sides assess different forms of leverage, according to the pundit:
https://sputnikglobe.com/20260508/trump-claims-us-destroyers-exited-hormuz-under-fire-threatens-iran-1124091796.html
strait of hormuz
iran
Sputnik International
feedback@sputniknews.com
+74956456601
MIA „Rossiya Segodnya“
2026
News
en_EN
Sputnik International
feedback@sputniknews.com
+74956456601
MIA „Rossiya Segodnya“
Sputnik International
feedback@sputniknews.com
+74956456601
MIA „Rossiya Segodnya“
opinion, elijah j. magnier, strait of hormuz, iran, us, middle east, war, military & intelligence, missile strikes, us missile strike
opinion, elijah j. magnier, strait of hormuz, iran, us, middle east, war, military & intelligence, missile strikes, us missile strike
US-Iran 'Calibrated Escalation' Risks Sliding Into All-Out War - Expert
A "calibrated escalation" is likely to follow the overnight US-Iran clash in the Strait of Hormuz, veteran war correspondent Elijah J. Magnier tells Sputnik.
“Return to full-scale war remains possible, but neither side appears eager for an immediate all-out confrontation,” Magnier says.
“What is more likely in the near term is a continuation of calibrated escalation, which means maritime incidents, allies being attacked, cyber operations, targeted strikes, and limited exchanges designed to impose pressure without triggering a wider or regional war.”
Both sides assess different forms of leverage, according to the pundit:
The US can escalate vertically by deploying additional military forces and intensifying confrontation
Iran can escalate horizontally by widening pressure geographically and economically without engaging in direct confrontation
Both sides show
restraint, but prolonged escalation increases the risk of miscalculation
“Therefore, one strike causing mass casualties, damage to strategic energy infrastructure, or a direct attack on senior leadership — such as targeted assassinations — could rapidly push both sides beyond the current threshold,” Magnier warns.
