Analyst Discusses U.S. President Options on Iran Conflict

A senior analyst stated that the U.S. president has expressed a desire to avoid becoming involved in a prolonged Middle East conflict and does not want renewed full-scale war with Iran. The analyst said Iranian officials have not agreed to the concessions the president is seeking. Under these conditions, the president could be pushed to resume strikes on Iranian targets.

The analyst described agreements on paper in Gaza, between Iran and Gulf states, and between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon that have not stopped attacks and drone strikes. In Lebanon, the analyst noted that casualties on both sides have reached high levels even though no full-scale war is officially under way and a recently renewed cease-fire is supposed to be in place.

The analyst said the situation shows no sign of moving in a positive direction soon and linked the lack of progress to repeated refusals to pursue diplomatic solutions after fighting stops.