Expert warns US-Iran clash could push oil to $200 a barrel
Trita Parsi of the Quincy Institute said a third round of fighting could trigger an energy crisis and a global depression.
A Quincy Institute analyst warned on Wednesday that Washington and Tehran are close to a dangerous breaking point, Russia's state news agency TASS reported.
Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, told TASS that both sides could still pull back, because they have seen the likely consequences.
He pointed out that President Donald Trump has changed course at the last minute before.
Parsi described the warnings Washington has issued to Tehran over recent months as a war crimes plan that would target civilian and critical infrastructure, including desalination plants, energy facilities and power plants.
Iran would respond in kind, he said, creating an energy crisis far worse than the one seen so far, with oil possibly reaching $200 a barrel and bringing a global depression.
Parsi concluded that Trump may feel less politically constrained after the midterm elections, but a third round of war between the United States and Iran would bring the same damage regardless.
The United States is holding midterm congressional elections, with one-third of the Senate and all House seats up for vote, while voters also choose governors in 36 states and territories.
Republicans currently control both chambers of Congress.
The United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on Feb. 28.
In June, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding calling for an immediate halt to hostilities on all fronts, but the United States resumed strikes on July 8, accusing Iran of violating the agreement over the Strait of Hormuz.
Washington later signaled it would stop using large-scale force and turn to economic pressure through sanctions, according to the TASS report.
Parsi was born in Iran, studied international relations and economics in Sweden and received a doctorate from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C. He is widely regarded in the United States as one of the leading experts on relations with Iran.
