THE tentative ceasefire has effectively collapsed even before the US and Iran could begin technical-level talks. Renewed American strikes and Iranian retaliation now threaten the interim deal barely a month after it was signed. The two countries are sliding back towards war: Donald Trump has announced the resumption of the blockade, while Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz. The US president has also notified Congress that the conflict with Iran is on.

Trump’s escalatory rhetoric — threatening to seize control of the strategic waterway and charge other countries for guarding it — may be dismissed as one of his usual bombastic flourishes, yet it has added to the tension. America’s escalation, coming a day after the delayed funeral of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed on the first day of the war on Feb 28, has stoked public anger in Iran. Many are calling for revenge.

Although a return to full-fledged war may not be imminent, the latest developments have made it far harder to reach a negotiated peace deal. The situation is half-war, half-peace, keeping the world on edge. The latest hostilities were apparently triggered by the strikes of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard on two tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz for failing to follow instructions.

There may be an element of truth to the argument that Iran, by targeting Qatari and Saudi tankers, has overplayed its leverage, giving Trump an opportunity to hit back. But it is also a fact that Iran’s action was provoked by the US attempt to guide commercial ships via the Omani........

© Dawn