US troops quitting Iraq leavesTehran a friendly neighbour and trading partner which can act as a pressure valve against international sanctions.
- Honorary Research Fellow, Department of International Politics, City St George's, University of London
The US-Israeli war against Iran appears to be entering a new cycle of escalation.
Washington has promised to unleash “economic D-Day” on Tehran and its allies. But Iran has lived through US sanctions for nearly 50 years.
There is no end in sight to the conflict between the US and Iran.
There may be a pause in hostilities, but a long-term settlement is still a long way off.
This agreement simply restores the pre-war status quo without resolving any of the underlying issues.
The Middle East risks state of permanent confrontation where violence periodically erupts, diplomacy intervenes and neither changes the underlying reality.
The US and Israel believed that military superiority would be enough to humble Iran. It looks as if they were wrong.
But the longer it continues the more damage it does to the whole world.
For decades, the US has been unequivocal in its support for Israel.
Both sides are claiming success, but it may be Tehran that benefits more from the deal.
Donald Trump’s revival of a ‘roadmap’ to peace dismissed by Iran in 2025 suggests he is looking for a way out of an increasingly unwinnable war.
Whether framed as liberal, neocon or realist, US foreign policy has always been about sustaining American dominance.
It appeared that diplomacy was working, but the strikes by the US and Israel now risk destroying any chance of a peaceful resolution of this crisis.
Diplomacy remains the most preferable option both for Iran and the US as tensions between the two countries rise.
Despite the bellicose rhetoric, Washington must realise the folly of another protracted conflict in the Middle East.
Donald Trump’s best option in Iran may be to show restraint.
The vote revealed the depth of Iraq’s political fatigue and the power of dependency politics.
Both Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu talked of regime change in Iran. Instead they may have left the Islamic Republic stronger.
Iraq’s semi-autonomous north is grappling with a severe economic crisis, with many residents forced into massive personal debt.
Sudden food prices have sparked in Iraq, but other countries may follow.
Iraqis have taken to the streets to protest against the foreign interference – by both Iran and the US – in their country.
Iraq’s 2005 constitution created a flawed political system built on sectarianism.
Saddled with a repressive government that cuts their wages in the name of austerity, Iraq’s Kurds are demanding something better.
A decade and a half after it was invaded in the name of spreading democracy, Iraq turns out to have been set up to fail.
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