Article snippet: Washington and Tehran have entered uncharted territory after the United States killed Iran’s most powerful general. Iranian leadership has already threatened “harsh retaliation” over the U.S. killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who led Iran’s elite Quds Force and was considered the architect of Iran’s proxy and shadow wars. Experts say Iran might not act right away, instead playing the long game. And when it does act, it may be an asymmetric response, such as a cyberattack. But MORE’s order to kill a man who was revered by many in Iran and was seen as the second most powerful official behind only the supreme leader has upped the ante in an increasingly dangerous faceoff between the United States and Iran. “For a whole host of reasons, at a time when the U.S. has in their eyes virtually declared war on them with the killing of Qassem Soleimani, they can’t afford not to react,” Robert Malley, who served in the Obama administration, said of Iran. “Even though we may not know the when or the what or the where, it’s clear that there will be an Iranian response. And that’s where the notion of deterrence really falls flat because Iran will respond, at which point one imagines that the U.S. will want to respond as well,” he said. The Pentagon announced Thursday that it killed Soleimani in an airstrike in Baghdad, saying that it was a “decisive defensive action” against someone who was “actively developing plans” for attacks. Secretary of State MORE claimed Friday in interv... Link to the full article to read more