NEW YORK, July 10. /TASS/. The United States has found itself in a strategic dead end in the conflict with Iran, as none of the Washington administration's approaches to Tehran have worked, Richard N. Haass, a longtime diplomat who served at the US State Department and the National Security Council under several administrations, including George W. Bush's, told The New York Times.
"We are at something of a strategic dead-end," he asserted, explaining that the more the US attacks Iran, the more the Iranians strike oil and energy infrastructure in the Gulf countries. "And the administration [of US President Donald Trump] still has not figured out how to defend those sites," the expert added.
Haass emphasized that Trump "first hoped he could bomb them [Tehran] into regime change, then he hoped he could bomb them into capitulation -- neither worked."
The United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28. Among other Iranian officials, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed as a result of airstrikes. In June, Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) providing for an immediate ceasefire across all fronts, including Lebanon. Afterwards, talks were held at the Swiss resort of B·rgenstock with Qatar and Pakistan acting as mediators in the implementation of the MoU. According to a joint statement issued by Pakistan and Qatar following the conclusion of the first round of talks, the meeting between Iranian and US representatives took place in a positive and constructive atmosphere. Encouraging progress was made, and a foundation for further technical talks was established.
However, on the night of July 8, the United States resumed large-scale strikes on Iran, accusing it of violating bilateral agreements, especially regarding the Strait of Hormuz.