On the international political stage, war does not always manifest as a decisive confrontation that births a triumphant victor and leaves a shattered loser. Instead, the conflict between Donald Trump’s administration and the regime of Velayat-e Faqih in Tehran has devolved into a tedious, exhausting tug-of-war, a game of mutual attrition where neither side collapses to the ground.

Every time the rope stretches to its absolute limit, leading the world to fear an imminent snap, the board resets to the same maneuvering square. Trump threatens “limited” military strikes, crafted by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and defense officials to neutralize Iran’s radar and missile capabilities near the Strait of Hormuz, only to reassure global markets with dry irony that “maritime traffic remains in very good shape.” Tehran counters by striking targets across the Arab Gulf and Jordan, targeting oil tankers in Hormuz with synchronized projectiles, while dispatching President Masoud Pezeshkian to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek to lecture on the “Islamabad Memorandum” and pledge immediate de-escalation should Washington honor its commitments.

This is a unique strain of political absurdity: an “endless war” waged through non-decisive strikes and choreographed salvos. It is fueled by the stubbornness of two regimes that derive their internal legitimacy and external posture from the continuation of this tension, neither possessing the willingness nor the capacity to deliver a knock-out blow.

This is a unique strain of political absurdity: an “endless war” waged through non-decisive strikes and choreographed salvos. It is fueled by the stubbornness of two regimes that derive their internal legitimacy and external posture from the continuation of this tension, neither possessing the willingness nor the capacity to deliver a........

© Middle East Monitor