Why an Iranian crisis matters to the rest of Asia

Tense times: The immediate concern is whether Iran will fall for the US-Israeli bait with the killing of its top nuclear scientist Fakhrizadeh and be tempted to order strikes that could then fetch a punitive response from Washington. — AP

AMID the hand-wringing about what a Joe Biden administration in the United States could mean to the American posture in East Asia, here’s something of equal importance unspooling in another corner of the continent that could, at some point, tail back to us: last month’s murder of Iran’s top nuclear scientist and the fallout from US President Donald Trump’s end-of-term moves towards that nation.

Dr Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was nailed as he travelled with his wife to a holiday resort popular with high-ranking officials.