The conflict sparked by joint US/Israeli airstrikes against Iran on 28 February has reached the six-month mark, confounding President Donald Trump’s initial optimism that it would be done and dusted within six weeks. Instead, the protracted conflict has metastasized, ensnaring the six GCC states as well as Iraq, Jordan, Yemen and even Egypt.
Far from toppling the regime in the Islamic Republic of Iran, the conflict has provided Tehran with the opportunity to make good on its repeated threats to close the Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20mn b/d of oil was shipped before the war began. This has provided Iran with valuable strategic leverage. Although Iran has been wounded and much of its industrial base severely damaged, its government has shown little willingness to compromise. (CONTINUED - 1212 WORDS)
