“‘Iran is carrying out a relatively low-cost but effective strategy to increase the pain for the US and for our Iraqi friends, so deterring Iran is not going to be a one-off event but will require a willingness to strike again and again,’ said Mike Singh, a former senior director for Middle East affairs at the National Security Council. ‘The question is: is the US willing to pursue an indefinite campaign against Iranian proxies in the region given the clear desire—especially at the Pentagon—to shift attention away from the Middle East and towards Russia and China…'”