Alex Boyd
(BBC) – The prospect of an imminent agreement to end the conflict between the US and Iran again seems unlikely, with the warring sides exchanging strikes and uncompromising rhetoric.
The attacks come days after the US said it was moving into a new phase – a sweeping economic blockade against Iran and countries which trade with it.
The US aim was to force Iran to negotiate and to stop its attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The key commercial shipping route has been effectively closed since the US and Israel started the conflict in February.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) the two sides signed in June and meant to result in a permanent ceasefire and a deal within 60 days has expired.
As the conflict enters its seventh month, we asked three experts for their thoughts on how it may play out.
US hopes military and economic pressure will weaken Iran’s negotiating power
Jason Campbell, Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute, Washington DC
The problem is we still do not know definitively what the US strategic objectives are in Iran. The White House is persistently re-evaluating what it is willing to live with from a political standpoint.
