Bowen: US-Iran deal raises inescapable question of what the war was for

Following a February 28th attack on Iran, Presidents Trump and Pezeshkian have signed a memorandum of understanding that effectively represents a strategic setback for the United States and Israel despite their military superiority. Iran successfully leveraged its closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which handles one-fifth of global oil and gas supplies, to extract significant concessions including sanctions relief and asset unfreezing worth billions of dollars. The agreement essentially returns both nations to their pre-war status while exposing flawed assumptions by US and Israeli leaders who believed assassinating Iran's Supreme Leader would trigger regime collapse.