For all the hard work invested in trying to negotiate a lasting peace settlement, the latest upsurge in violence between Iran and the US does not bode well for the survival of their 60-day ceasefire, implemented last month. A key factor in both the Trump administration and the Iranian regime agreeing to the truce was a profound sense of war weariness in the two camps. For different reasons, both want to see an end to the conflict, yet here it is, continuing.

US President Donald Trump’s decision to attack Tehran at the end of February appears to have been predicated on the basis that the war would be a relatively brief affair that would ultimately result in the collapse of the regime. The continuation of the conflict in July is, therefore, hugely inconvenient, not least economically, following a sharp rise in American energy prices. This could reflect negatively at the polls in the upcoming midterm elections. Trump’s failure to bring the conflict to a speedy conclusion has prompted many to question his ability to deal effectively with global security threats, including from within his own Republican........

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