The much-awaited US midterm elections have ended with a crushing defeat for the ruling Republican Party at the hands of the Democrats. Meanwhile, the US-Iran conflict has settled into a strategic stalemate, with neither side achieving a decisive military victory or its political objectives. The Trump administration refuses to acknowledge this deadlock. Secretary of State Marco Rubio maintains that economic sanctions and the naval blockade have severely damaged Iran’s economy, pushing inflation to alarming levels and its currency towards collapse. President Donald Trump, however, has indicated reluctance to undertake further military action, favouring a strategy of economic attrition. Differences within his administration are also evident, with Vice President J.D. Vance reportedly favouring diplomacy over military strikes. Iran, meanwhile, remains defiant. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has stressed that the conflict cannot be resolved through military force or sanctions alone, but requires mutual respect. However, Tehran is increasingly concerned that prolonged economic pressure or limited US strikes could destabilise the country and provoke further escalation.
The Strait of Hormuz remains at the centre of this confrontation, with disruptions to shipping threatening the economic and security interests of Gulf states and the wider international community. The reality is that Washington has failed to impose its demands through military pressure, while Tehran has also failed to secure its objectives through selective restrictions on the strategically vital waterway.
This uneasy state of ‘no war, no peace’ cannot continue indefinitely. Although the immediate threat of a major military confrontation appears to have receded, lasting stability in the Middle East will remain elusive without a comprehensive and durable agreement between Washington and Tehran.
Both sides must recognize that neither military pressure nor economic strangulation can deliver a sustainable solution. The time has come for the United States and Iran to abandon confrontation, extend mutual guarantees and pursue serious negotiations leading to a long-term peace settlement. The stability of the Middle East and the wider global economy depends on it.
Like always Donald Trump has declared that more attacks are not needed but he continues to issue threats and contends that the US will maintain the status Quo and his cabinet members maintain that they will continue to apply economic pressures and the Iranian President has criticized the US policy of diplomacy laced with threats. There can be no two opinions about the fact that the combined might of the US and Israel has failed to defeat Iran on the field of battle but the American sanctions are hurting Iran in a big way but there is no indication that Iran will surrender unconditionally. Iran is confident that if Iran suffers the entire gulf region and the world community at large will feel the pinch too. The status quo imposed by the US cannot survive for long and about time that the American leaders now try to achieve a negotiated peace deal with Iran. For the sake of peace in the region and the world and for economic stability in the world this state of no war no peace has to end immediately.
The US-Israeli war against Iran remains at a stalemate after US President Donald Trump apparently rejected an Iranian counteroffer to the US proposal to end the war over the weekend. While the current ceasefire set over a month ago remains in place, there have been skirmishes in the region over the past week, including US strikes against two Iranian tankers and Iranian fire against US warships in the Strait of Hormuz.
For their part, most Americans see little upside to continuing the war. According to a Chicago Council on Global Affairs-Ipsos survey conducted May 1-3, 2026, the US public thinks the US action has been successful at degrading Iranian military assets. But at the same time, Americans tend to think the military action has been detrimental to the US economy, national security, and standing abroad. What’s more, except for Republican Party supporters, many Americans are skeptical that the United States or Iran will comply with a future agreement that links sanctions relief to limiting Iran’s nuclear program. At the moment the US is holding the world community hostage in order to exit gracefully from a war unleashed by them and Israel. The demands of the Iranian Govt. have been rejected by the US but the fact is if the Iranian position is respected and they are given guarantees of no further military actions then there is every chance that the Iranian side will soften their stance to achieve a negotiated settlement to the conflict. The American public has given their verdict loud and clear in the midterm elections and it is now up to Donald Trump to find ways and means to extricate his country from this disastrous and highly unpopular war.
—The writer is Professor of History, based in Islamabad
