An opinion article by Italian journalist Giulio Meotti argues that the Salman Rushdie trial should be read as more than a criminal case. In his view, it is a warning about how Iran is said to project power through intimidation and violence while Western governments try to reduce tensions through negotiation.
The piece presents the Rushdie case as part of a wider pattern rather than an isolated event. It suggests that threats against writers, critics and other targets have long carried political meaning, and that the West too often treats such episodes separately from larger policy choices involving Tehran.
According to the article, this creates an imbalance: Iran is portrayed as gaining leverage through fear, while Western capitals seek compromise to avoid escalation. Meotti argues that this approach leads in the wrong direction because negotiations, when detached from coercive behavior, can end up rewarding it instead of changing it.
The commentary ultimately frames the Rushdie trial as a test of how the West understands Iran’s methods and intentions. Its central message is that diplomacy without a clear response to intimidation risks repeating the same mistakes and encouraging more pressure rather than less.
