Exit strategy

MOST members of the international community, particularly states in the greater Middle East, are gravely concerned about the direction the US-Israeli war on Iran is taking. The aggression has taken a heavy civilian toll in Iran, including the slaughter of schoolgirls in the Iranian town of Minab by a suspected American missile, while the global economy is on incredibly thin ice.

Yet there is no sign that the US-Israeli combine realises that the so-called Operation Epic Fury is fast turning into an “epic failure”, with Iran unwilling to throw in the towel. There have been reports in the US media that President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff has traded messages with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. But Mr Araghchi has denied this, saying his last contact with Mr Witkoff was “prior to his employer’s decision to kill diplomacy”. Moreover, there are also reports that Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has rejected outreach to the US.

Meanwhile, the US is floundering in this war of choice with no clear game plan. Mr Trump’s request to his European and Nato allies to assemble a coalition of the willing to end the Iranian blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has met with a cool reception. The German, British, Greek and other European governments have basically said ‘this is not our war’; the EU foreign policy chief has expressed similar sentiments.

The fact is that the US finds itself isolated at this point, except for the enthusiastic support from Israel, which has always been keen to spread havoc in the region. Therefore, the Trump administration must rethink its approach as its objective of achieving regime change in Tehran is not likely to be achieved anytime soon.

If Mr Trump is serious about ending the war, he must declare an immediate ceasefire. Considering that the Iranians have been betrayed twice by the US during negotiations — before last year’s 12-day war, and, more recently, in the run-up to the latest aggression — there is a massive trust deficit in Tehran. More bellicosity will only harden Iran’s position.

Israel must be particularly reined in. Decapitation strikes — such as the one in which Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was assassinated, and the latest one of Iranian security chief Ali Larijani being hit — will hardly create a conducive atmosphere for a negotiated solution. Some reports say the Israelis have planned attacks for several more weeks. If the situation is to be normalised, the rogue behaviour of both the US and Israel must be contained.

Perhaps America’s European allies can more forcefully project the need for Mr Trump to wind down this useless war, for the sake of global security and economic well-being. It remains to be seen if the Trump administration can swallow this bitter pill.

Published in Dawn, March 18th, 2026