Iran will be more likely to cooperate if it can鈥檛 convince others that an attack will cause global havoc. Iran wants the US and others to believe that the Middle East will go up in flames if it鈥檚 attacked and that oil prices will skyrocket and remain high, undermining the world economy.
That鈥檚 not likely, however, and we shouldn鈥檛 buy into Iran鈥檚 histrionics. Among other stabilizing factors, the Saudis are committed to making up for lost oil from Iran in the event of conflict, and the member nations of the International Energy Agency hold plenty of oil reserves to meet demand. [Editor's note: A previous version incorrectly named the energy agency.]
