In response to U.S. threats, Iran and its allied militias in Iraq are taking a conciliatory approach to avoid winding up in Washington's crosshairs. But while this will temporarily mitigate the risk of a regional escalation as Tehran engages in nuclear talks with the Trump administration, Iran remains unlikely to fully abandon its proxy strategy. Since the United States began launching airstrikes on Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis in mid-March, there have been reports that Iran and its proxies in Iraq are taking steps to reduce the likelihood of also becoming a target of U.S. attacks. On April 3, The Telegraph reported that Iran had ordered its military personnel to leave Yemen, with an Iranian official saying that the decision was designed to mitigate risks of direct confrontation with the United States if an Iranian military member, such as an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander, was killed in the ongoing U.S....
