After the US-Iran MoU: Diplomacy’s unfinished business

The fragile peace established by a recent US-Iran memorandum of understanding has dissolved, with missile exchanges escalating across the Persian Gulf. The confrontation has entered its most dangerous phase since hostilities resumed last week, prompting commercial shipping to withdraw from the vital Strait of Hormuz and pushing oil prices upward.

In response to the heightened tensions, the United States launched a fresh wave of precision strikes targeting military and petrochemical infrastructure in southern Iran. Facilities in the oil-rich Khuzestan province, as well as sites near Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island, and Bushehr, were hit. The US employed a combination of aircraft, naval assets, and, for the first time in this campaign, sea drones.

These strikes aimed to degrade Iran's air defense, missile, and coastal capabilities. Open-source imagery has corroborated damage to key military installations, including the Omidiyeh airbase. The renewed hostilities underscore the persistent instability in the region, despite diplomatic efforts to secure a halt to the dangerous confrontations between the two rivals.