Half a Year of the Iran War: US Should Take an Honest Look at Failure

Today marks half a year since the U.S. and Israel launched a war with Iran. The exchange of attacks has maintained a steady pace, but the Strait of Hormuz, a key energy transport path, remains effectively blocked, crude oil prices are still high, and the global economy continues to be in chaos.

In June, the U.S. reached a memorandum of understanding with Iran toward ending the war. However, the 60-day negotiation period has expired, and conflict regarding control of the Strait of Hormuz persists. It’s possible that the fighting might once again intensify, with no prospect of resuming negotiations.

The U.S. side declared that it will inflict an historic “single financial offensive ever marshalled against an adversary," and it has set forth a policy of targeting five sectors, including digital assets, of any country that continues to do business with Iran. The aim of this strengthened economic pressure is to draw Iran to the negotiating table for compromise, but China, Iran's greatest trade partner, vehemently opposes the measures, and it is unclear if the sanctions will get stronger. After all, the sequence of imposing economic sanctions after military operations is extremely irrational.

The attacks against Iran, a nation that the aggressors deemed an imminent threat without showing any basis, were carried out without consulting the U.N. Security Council, and from the start, NATO member nations have distanced themselves. President Donald Trump has sought cooperation with the attacks, hinting that he might reconsider relationships with allied nations, but on the contrary, the rift with European countries has widened.

It must be said that the diplomatic technique of Trump, who achieves political goals through the support of overwhelming military force, as well as pressure on not just enemy nations, but also allies, has reached its limit.

The purpose of the attacks has also become hard to see. With a change in the Iranian regime in view, the U.S. killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a bombing, but embroiling countless civilians in the attacks had the adverse effect of incurring backlash from the Iranian people. A mutual consensus toward halting Iran's nuclear development program is also nowhere near. Trump must take a straight look at this failure.

We also hope for a calm response from the Iranian side. On the receiving end of the U.S. policy of strengthened sanctions, Iranian leadership views countries that participate in the sanctions as enemies, and continues to take an unyielding posture of insisting on attacking U.S. enterprises' oil-related facilities. The will of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is controlled by religious leaders, is visibly strong, but internally, there is also movement to search for an early end to the war.

On the basis of the memorandum of understanding reached in June, leadership should hasten toward an end to the wartime destruction and reopening of free navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

A trend has emerged in which Middle Eastern countries, disregarding the influence of the U.S., which thinks little of international order, are eyeing a move to a framework to independently ensure their own national security. We hope that the U.S. will step back and take the stance of supporting these movements. Regarding Israel, which strongly insists on continuing the fighting, a strong call for self-restraint is also crucial. Japan, which has cordial relations with both the U.S. and Iran, should strengthen its encouragement of both nations and contribute to the stability of the situation in the Middle East.