Iran and the United States have reached an agreement to end the war that began on Feb. 28. The two states have agreed to set the stage for detailed negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program and sanctions imposed against Iran. According to the signed deal, a 60-day deadline was set for Iran to reach a nuclear agreement.
It’s unclear what the signatory states agreed upon, but it seems clear what they disagreed on. The cessation of hostilities is an important achievement for Iran and the regional states. With this agreement, Iran extended its security umbrella to its regional proxies. We hope that there will be no return to armed conflict. It is not clear whether this agreement will bring peace and stability to the region.
All states involved in the war, namely Iran, the U.S. and Israel, have been damaged. On the one hand, Iran has lost most of its leadership cadres, including its supreme leader. Many important infrastructures were targeted and destroyed by the attackers. However, the U.S. and Israel also paid a high price during the war.
The U.S. military deterrence was weakened during the war. Today, it is less of a deterrent power than it was before the war. The war damaged President Donald Trump’s personal reputation. A large portion of his constituents, including his Make America Great Again (MAGA) political base, opposed the war. Consequently, Trump may lose the coming midterm elections. The U.S. has paid a high economic price as well.
