Better the enemy you know than the friend you do not. Wars between states build bridges of shifting relationships. The dialogue of power, despite all its human and material losses, creates another language of communication, one with a complex and thorny melody.
War and peace are inseparable from the course of human affairs and have always determined the movement of nations throughout history. The First and Second World Wars redrew the maps of a new and unprecedented era.
Iran has fought many wars throughout its long history, shaping its religious, linguistic, and political identities. Its war with Iraq, following the fall of the Shah's regime and the establishment of the Islamic Republic, lasted eight years and cost thousands of lives and billions of dollars in losses.
After international mediation and UN resolutions, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khomeini faced what he described as a bitter reality and accepted a ceasefire, likening the decision to “drinking a cup of poison.”
Iran's most recent war with the United States crossed borders and affected people around the world, hitting both wallets and dinner tables. In Iran, the currency collapsed, and food and medicine became scarce and bitter necessities under the weight of sanctions.
Citizens already exhausted by aerial and naval warfare awoke and went to sleep with the burdens of hardship. In the United States, the effects of the war were felt through gasoline and oil prices and even approached the ballot box. Napoleon Bonaparte once said, "Armies march on their stomachs," but today one could also say that peoples do as well.
After hundreds of statements by US President Donald Trump, filled with promises and threats, and amid ongoing diplomatic efforts by countries whose leaders shuttled between Tehran and Washington, talk began to emerge of direct communication between the two adversaries.
Each side has more than one reason to move toward dialogue and step back from armed confrontation. President Trump keeps his eyes on the hourglass, counting down to the upcoming midterm congressional elections scheduled for November 3.
Only a few days remain, but they are heavy with the surprises for which American elections are famous. Trump cannot forget two defining moments that shaped the course of his life. The first was his victory over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, despite opinion polls suggesting she would win. Although Clinton won the popular vote, the Electoral College delivered the presidency to Trump.
Surprises also marked the contest between Democratic candidate Joe Biden and Trump in 2024. A debate exposed President Biden's frailty due to age, forcing Democrats to put forward Vice President Kamala Harris to face Trump in the presidential race, which Trump won decisively.
Iran, too, has its own winds that guide its decisions in war and peace. From the first day of Khomeini's revolutionary triumph, when he descended from the aircraft arriving from France to be greeted by massive crowds, chants of "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" never ceased.
Revolutionary Iranian youths stormed the US diplomatic mission in Tehran, seized American diplomats, lowered the Israeli flag from the Israeli embassy, raised the Palestinian flag in its place, and called for Palestine's liberation from what they described as Zionist occupation.
Since then, official and popular voices in revolutionary Iran have consistently declared hostility toward both the United States and Israel, making this stance a foundational element of the Islamic Republic's identity.
The new Islamic Republic did not conceal its ideological and sectarian regional ambitions. It moved swiftly to support allied entities in Lebanon, Iraq, Yemen, and elsewhere with financial, military, and political backing. Following the signing of the Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel, Iran became Israel's principal regional adversary.
On June 13, 2025, Israel launched extensive attacks against Iran that continued until June 23. During the conflict, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, several members of his family, and numerous religious and military leaders were reportedly killed.
The United States later joined the war and bombed Iranian nuclear facilities. As the conflict between Washington and Tehran continued, Israeli military operations diminished.
In response to US attacks, Iran's military retaliation increasingly targeted the Gulf states and Jordan with near-daily missile and drone strikes. The war acquired a third arena, involving countries that were not direct participants in the conflict. These Arab states, which maintain extensive ties with the United States, suffered significant economic damage as a result of Iran's control over the Strait of Hormuz, which also disrupted global economic activity.
Therefore, any serious discussion of a settlement to the armed conflict between Iran and the US cannot produce meaningful results on the ground unless these Arab parties also participate in shaping the peace process.
In conclusion, war builds mountains whose heights can be seen for generations, and its roots extend deep into the collective memory of nations. Its winds may rise again even after periods of calm. There is therefore no alternative to constructing a foundation for coexistence, good neighborly relations, and peace based on trust, goodwill, and shared security. The goal must be to move from a state of suspicion and apprehension toward a living reality governed by peace and serving the common interests of all.
