Twice in nine months, the US and Iran have been on the verge of a deal on Iran's nuclear-energy program. However, Israel and America launched an unlawful military strike, prompting Iran's retaliation. The effects are felt globally, with maritime traffic disrupted and energy prices rising.
The American administration's greatest miscalculation was allowing itself to be drawn into this war. America's friends must help extricate it from this unwanted entanglement. The question is, what can be done to end this war?
America's friends have a responsibility to tell the truth: there are two parties to this war who have nothing to gain from it. The national interests of both Iran and America lie in the earliest possible end to hostilities.
A sober assessment of America's national interests would indicate that they must include a definitive and decisive end to nuclear-weapons proliferation in the region, secure energy supply chains, and renewed investment opportunities.
The path away from war may lie through resuming bilateral negotiations. Linking these negotiations to a wider regional process could provide an incentive for both parties to engage in dialogue.
Oman and its Gulf Co-operation Council neighbours can propose a regional non-aggression treaty and a substantive regional deal on nuclear transparency.
