“HOW did the world’s richest nation armed with the most powerful military arrive at this strategic defeat?” asks New York Times writer W.J. Hennigan. Quoting Donald Trump in his analysis for the same paper, David E. Sanger captures the American president’s bravado: “There will be no deal with Iran except unconditional surrender.” Contrary to Trump’s declaration, the Iranians have not only survived a war with the world’s most powerful military but have also found themselves in a position to celebrate. “Iran is actually stronger now relative to their position in the Middle East than they were prior to this war,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Trump, he said, was “divorced from reality”.

The 14-point agreement between Washington and Tehran appears more like a temporary stabilisation mechanism reached after a costly confrontation. The immediate objective seems to be to restore stability in the Gulf rather than resolve the disputes that led to the war. According to Iran expert Vali Nasr, this ‘no war, no peace’ situation is not sustainable. “Strategically, geopolitically, the only real winner at this point is Iran,” said Ross Harrison of the Middle East Institute. According to him, post-war, Washington had lost global credibility. The deferral of the nuclear issue was a setback for Israel which was the biggest loser, he concluded. The preliminary agreement is “terrible for Israel”, said a senior Israeli official, echoing the frustration of the Israeli prime minister and chief of staff.

The US-Iran deal is a reminder that we cannot just bomb our way to solutions. On the occasion of the........

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