In the days since the United States and Israel launched their campaign against Iran, the term “mowing the lawn” has resurfaced in foreign policy discussions. Rather than pursuing a full-scale effort to dismantle Iran’s nuclear and ballistic programs, this concept envisions periodic, targeted strikes — returning every few years to degrade Iran’s military capabilities and then withdrawing.

The appeal of mowing the lawn is that it sounds controlled and low-cost — hit, degrade, leave, repeat. In practice, however, it is a flawed strategy for obvious reasons — especially in the case of Iran.

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