War with...Iran?

etr

Ars Scholae Palatinae
1,095
Negotiations are unlikely to succeed before 2028 given that Trump has already stabbed Iran in the back three times. He might be less trustworthy than Putin.
It would not surprise me to see things end without a true settlement as a result of a temporary cease fire holding because neither side finds a reason to resume shooting. However, that probably requires a ceasefire that restores trade to some degree, likely at least to the extent as things stood before the US and Israel attacked.

Ultimately, if the Iranian government can hold off the US without ceding anything, they can credibly claim that they won the conflict to their populace. The primary maybe not that comes to mind here is that the Iranian leadership has lost friends and family to the conflict (with the new Supreme Leader having lost both his father and wife), and that might make accepting a winning stalemate more difficult. That said, they are probably going to be more likely to put feelings aside to find a path forward than the Trump administration.

The hard part will be US sanctions against Iran. I don't think those get dropped for a ceasefire, but I suspect a work-around involving some combination of the EU, India, and China to be worked out. It's in everyone's interest (other than that of the US and Trump) to get Iran's oil back on the market and turn the corner on economic disruption, and the Trump administration can turn a blind eye and claim to the US public that they haven't given something up.

On the toll front, I think anything but Iran alone collecting a toll is potentially on the table. I see the main possibilities as (1) no toll, (2) a toll split between Iran and Arab countries that have been in the cross fire, (3) a toll split between Iran and the US, and (4) a mix of 2 and 3. The first two options feel most likely to me.

The next question is one of timing. My best guess is that the Trump administration will be reluctant to make a move they can't label as a larger win than the above (where "larger win" really means "smaller loss") until the midterm elections happen or the polls suggest that a blue wave a forgone conclusion. (I honestly can't imagine Trump being swayed by polling data--regardless of how dire--so this probably translates to when the midterms happen.) I would look for the midterms to give the Democrats the House, which would let them investigate the conflict thoroughly and block funding. As a result, I would expect the Trump administration to find enough motivation to find an end to the fighting sometime between the midterm election and the seating of the next Congress is seated in January.

That would be a lot of bad blood to put aside in very little time, but the conflict might be old enough at that point that the exit will be enticing enough to get something done. Iran might see an opportunity to extract a better position should Democrats make things painful for the Trump administration--especially if they cut funding.

That said, the potential of the Democrats actually forcing the end of the conflict is probably more potent than them actually doing so. If they were to actually do so, Trump and the Republicans would seek to pin the loss on the Democrats. From that perspective, a deal in the November-December time frame might actually be better than what can be gotten after a new Congress is seated, from the Iranian perspective.
 

hrpanjwani

Ars Scholae Palatinae
789
Subscriptor
On the toll front, I think anything but Iran alone collecting a toll is potentially on the table. I see the main possibilities as (1) no toll, (2) a toll split between Iran and Arab countries that have been in the cross fire, (3) a toll split between Iran and the US, and (4) a mix of 2 and 3. The first two options feel most likely to me.

Can we discuss further about how if (1) does not happen, this will set a precedent that will have an impact on other maritime choke points as a question of wider geopolitical impact or does that discussion not belong here?
 
Too bad the administration clearly doesn't give a shit about the election. Wonder why.
I suppose this is why

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Can we discuss further about how if (1) does not happen, this will set a precedent that will have an impact on other maritime choke points as a question of wider geopolitical impact or does that discussion not belong here?
I think anything other than 1 will become a giant problem for the Malacca strait and Bab-al-Mandeb, potentially the South China sea as well in future. China is going to take it as a signal.
 
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karolus

Ars Legatus Legionis
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This doesn't get enough attention. The current US cease fire is counter-productive as long as Iran is targeting ships in the strait or other nations around them. If the oil and economic hits are happening anyway, then continuing to destabilize the Iranian theocratic regime, the IRGC, SAVAK, etc is in both our and the world's interest, even if they protest it.

That’s pretty blithe for you to say. Plunge a nation into civil war due to lackadaisical foreign policy on the part of Washington?
 
That’s pretty blithe for you to say. Plunge a nation into civil war due to lackadaisical foreign policy on the part of Washington?
To be fair, isn’t that just the historical status quo of national security interests in the west? We get what we want, and whoever’s on the other side suffers for us.
 

Cthel

Ars Praefectus
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I don't think the Saudis are going to be happy about this outcome of the war
United Arab Emirates to quit oil cartel Opec
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has said it is quitting the Opec and Opec+ groups of major oil producing nations after nearly 60 years.

The UAE said the decision reflected its "long-term strategic and economic vision and evolving energy profile".

The decision is seen as a blow to the cartel with one analyst describing the exit as "the beginning of the end of Opec".
 

Pino90

Ars Scholae Palatinae
1,403
Subscriptor
Holy galloping gargoyles!!!!! If anyone here had this on their bingo card, you must have the best crystal in existence.
I'm waiting for the next headline saying that people (strangely close to the US administration, somehow, or to the UAE regime) have made money betting on this on polymarket.

/s but not so much really