Between Deterrence and Diplomacy: New US Airstrikes Heighten Uncertainty in the Middle East

The fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran is once again under scrutiny. With several airstrikes on military targets in southern Iran, the US has demonstrated its willingness to intervene militarily even amid ongoing negotiations. According to American military sources, several Iranian drones and a ground control station in Bandar Abbas near the strategically important Strait of Hormuz were destroyed. Washington described the operations as "defensive measures" aimed at protecting its own forces and international shipping routes. The strikes come at a geopolitically sensitive moment. For weeks, mediators from ...