The increasing tempo of offensive cyber operations by Iran and its adversaries, including the US and Israel, has led many commentators to label them as “tit-for-tat”: a cyclical action-reaction dynamic where each side seeks to respond appropriately to an earlier violation by the other. However, this interpretation has significant theoretical and empirical deficiencies. Why, then, does a tit-for-tat narrative dominate our understanding of Iranian cyber activity, and what are the consequences?

Join the Cyber Project in conversation with James Shires and Mike McGetrick, the authors of the report, Rational Not Reactive: Re-evaluating Expectations of Iranian Cyber Strategy Beyond “Tit-for-Tat.”  The work of Shires and McGetrick, along with important research contributions by HKS MPP graduate, Usha Sahay, will contribute significantly to the collective understanding of Iran's broader strategy for its cyber operations.