The final bell of this bout may be near. The United States and Iran have traded blows in recent days, with the US launching two nights of strikes in southern Iran after Iran downed a US Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. Iranian forces responded with attacks against Gulf countries and a US air base in Jordan. US President Donald Trump threatened further escalation this morning, but then reversed course this afternoon, calling off strikes and saying that all parties had “approved” a deal. What does this back-and-forth signal about the state of the war and the negotiations? We turned to our experts for answers.
TODAY’S EXPERT REACTION BROUGHT TO YOU BY
William Wechsler (@WillWechsler): Senior director of the Rafik Hariri Center and Middle East Programs and former deputy assistant secretary of defense for special operations and combatting terrorism
Alex Plitsas (@alexplitsas): Head of the Counterterrorism Project in the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative and former counterterrorism official in the Office of the Secretary of Defense
Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley: Distinguished fellow at the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative, former special assistant for the Middle East and Africa to the US secretary of state, former president of the Middle East Policy Council, and current senior advisor at WestExec Advisors
