'Epic folly': As the US and Iran both declare victory, 'none of the problems were resolved'

Article excerpt

After the U.S. and Iran both declared victory following their recent military confrontation, Ali Vaez, director of the Iran project at the International Crisis Group, calls the outcome an "epic folly" where neither side achieved its strategic objectives. Iran survived the strikes but faces economic devastation, while the U.S. and Israel degraded some Iranian capabilities without resolving underlying tensions. The conflict exemplifies a "lose-lose dynamic," Vaez argues, where all parties paid enormous costs for a stalemate that left the fundamental problems driving the conflict completely unresolved.