The US–Iran pause in strikes: A window for sustainable peace?

In international politics, silence can sometimes speak louder than explosions. When two long-standing adversaries such as the United States and Iran pause military strikes, the world does not simply witness a temporary cessation of hostilities—it is presented with a rare opportunity to ask a more profound question: Can this pause become the foundation for sustainable peace, or is it merely an interval before another cycle of confrontation? The history of US–Iran relations has been marked by decades of mistrust, political rivalry, economic sanctions, proxy conflicts, and periodic military escalation. Every confrontation has reinforced narratives of insecurity on both sides, leaving diplomacy struggling to compete with strategic calculations. Yet history also teaches that even the most entrenched conflicts can change course […]