NEW YORK – From the moment it was announced, the ceasefire between the United States, Israel and Iran has been marked by a different form of confrontation: peace on the precipice of war and war on the brink of resolution.
The memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by the U.S. and Iran in June was supposed to kick off 60 days of negotiations, culminating in a comprehensive peace. Instead, it has been followed by continued fighting, including U.S. and Iranian strikes on the Strait of Hormuz and the seizure of Yemen’s Red Sea coast by the Houthis, which threatens to disrupt shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb.
Tens of thousands of airstrikes have failed to force Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran says it will lift the siege in exchange for an end to four decades of sanctions. The U.S. is doing the opposite: maximizing already maximal sanctions. But Iran is no closer to capitulation, underscoring America’s inability to manage the aftermath of its own fury.
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