The emerging reality in West Asia View(s):The whole world breathed easy last Tuesday as Iran and the USA reached a temporary ceasefire at the 11th hour through the active mediation of Pakistan – clearly at the behest of the USA and China. Despite the threats of civilisational annihilation and sustained attacks by two leading military powers and nuclear weapon states (one de facto), Iran was more restrained in declaring victory. The US President’s expletive-driven post demanding Iran open the Strait was a classic showcasing of his distress. No amount of independent verification by the international watchdog, the IAEA, seems to allay Israel’s fears of a nuclear-armed Iran – a threshold it knows, if crossed, will change all strategic calculations in West Asia. The longstanding two-state solution for Palestine has gone, once again, to the back burner, the limbo of forgotten things.

Source: Sunday Times April 11, 2026 07:02 UTC