The war in Iran has been terrifying. It pushed the threat of nuclear weapons back to the forefront of global consciousness. And yet – somehow – we’ve made it through this conflict in better shape than many feared, assuming the ceasefire holds.

We now have an unexpected opportunity to turn this narrow escape into something bigger: a chance to expand global peace and security.

Like many, I have serious criticisms of how we got here. A nation that has never signed the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Treaty, Israel, used its undeclared nuclear status as leverage to launch a war against a country, Iran, that has no nuclear weapons and has submitted to international inspections. This directly sabotaged promising diplomatic efforts between Iran and America. When the United States entered the conflict with a military strike June 21, Americans braced for another endless war in the Middle East.

And yet, remarkably, we’ve arrived at a ceasefire. That outcome wasn’t inevitable. It required restraint from Tehran and surprising restraint from Washington. Credit must be given where it’s due: President Donald Trump played a central role in stopping the escalation, using his........

© USA TODAY