No deal, no exit: How US-Iran standoff risks fresh conflict
The ongoing standoff between the U.S. and Iran has reached a deadlock, with neither side willing to compromise. Economic pressures are mounting, and the risk of renewed conflict is increasing as both nations hold firm to their positions. The situation is exacerbated by calls for military action, despite past failures to shift Iran's stance through force.
- ▪The U.S. and Israel's recent attacks on Iran have led to a blockade and heightened tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.
- ▪Both the U.S. and Iran believe they have the upper hand, making a compromise increasingly unlikely.
- ▪Iran views its nuclear capabilities and control of the Strait as essential to its survival and is unwilling to concede them.
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No deal, no exit: How US-Iran standoff risks fresh conflictSign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inboxPublished May 19, 2026, 01:48 AMUpdated May 19, 2026, 01:53 AMListenLONDON, May 18 - Three months after the United States and Israel staged an attack on Iran, a U.S. blockade and Tehran's grip on the Strait of Hormuz have created a deadlock, with neither side bending, economic pain deepening and the risk of renewed war rising.A growing concern among policymakers is not whether a deal is near, but how long tensions can persist before a miscalculation by Washington or Tehran triggers renewed conflict.Calls for a fresh strike are growing louder in the U.S.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Straits Times — World.