Midterms

The missiles and bombs may have stopped, at least for the moment, but the war between the United States and Iran continues. The Strait of Hormuz remains closed, the US sanctions remain in place, and the fundamental issues separating the combatants remain unresolved. The bilateral negotiations have gone nowhere, and the two sides remain far apart. Iran has held fast to its most ambitious goals, despite the horrific punishment it has suffered This stalemate has puzzled observers since it’s not hard to see the outlines of a deal. For Iran, the minimum acceptable goal is regime survival. For the US, it is the end of the Iranian nuclear programme, which