Stuck in the Middle
The Middle East is erupting again this week, with kinetic attacks ranging from Iranian missiles launched at Israel to US strikes on petrochemical plants in Iran—but the military escalation is likely aimed to prompt a quicker diplomatic solution, not derail one. Neither side wants to continue full-scale fighting, but if Iran remains firm in its demands to control the Strait of Hormuz and refuses to negotiate on the nuclear issue, it will be difficult for Washington to back down, and we can expect lower-level violence to continue—if not expand.
