Stephen Zunes, founding chair of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of San Francisco, says Iran’s conditions for ending its war with the US have barely shifted because Tehran feels it holds the upper hand, having shown it can expand the conflict, disrupt the global economy and strike American bases, depleting US missile stocks in the process.
One notable change: Iran’s top security official, Mohsen Rezaee, no longer demands compensation for war damages, a shift Zunes calls a modest softening, since the roughly 300 billion dollars floated in a June memorandum was always unrealistic. Iran may instead be counting on sanctions relief to attract foreign investment for reconstruction.
Iran’s demand to end the war “on all fronts” may now extend beyond Lebanon to Yemen, where the Houthis’ rapid gains against Saudi Arabia benefit an Iranian ally.
He sees no sign of the current stalemate breaking, arguing Iran’s leadership will let its people bear sanctions rather than compromise, while Trump avoids a deal that would look like admitting a historic blunder.
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