US and Iran: Both Sides May Want to Stop Conflict

⭕ The “uncontrollable” conflict between the United States and Iran’s rulers

Both sides may want to stop the fighting, but they feel they would have to make too many concessions to achieve a lasting agreement. Last week, the only thing collapsing faster than Graham Plattener’s Senate campaign was the memorandum of understanding between the Trump administration and the remnants of Iran’s rulers. By Monday, there was nothing left. The Iranians have no plan to negotiate an end to their nuclear program. The Americans are unwilling to ease sanctions on Iran. Iran fires missiles at commercial ships. The United States retaliates by striking targets across Iran. Iran responds by targeting countries in the region, from Oman to Jordan. U.S. President Donald Trump, before reimposing the blockade on Iran, calls the country’s leaders “evil” and “vile” people. In mosques across Iran, calls for Trump’s assassination also echo. This is not peace; it is not even a ceasefire. The situation we face is described by one of the most famous lines in the 250-year history of American diplomatic correspondence. Charles Francis Adams, Abraham Lincoln’s envoy, wrote to the British foreign secretary: “It would be superfluous for me to point out to your Lordship that this is war.” Read more... A perspective by Walter Russell Mead Independent