Iran is once again attacking its neighbors. In recent days, Tehran has launched drones and missile attacks at Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, and Qatar, just as it did in the war’s opening days. And for the second time, NATO intercepted an Iranian missile over Turkish airspace.

Some have found the Islamic Republic’s decision to respond to U.S. and Israeli strikes by attacking its neighbors to be puzzling. After all, Tehran’s strikes seem sure to alienate those who, ostensibly, had little to nothing to do with the military campaign against it. And it could prompt some nations to join the fight against Iran. Some Iranian authorities, perhaps recognizing this possibility, initially apologized after the first round of attacks.

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In short, it seems tremendously and transparently self-defeating. But there is a logic, foolish as it is, behind Iran’s decision to attack its neighbors, and it’s worth exploring.

Since its bloody birth in 1979, the Islamic Republic has sought the overthrow of Gulf monarchies. These countries are overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim,........

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