How Iran Should End the War

How Iran Should End the War A Deal Tehran Could Take M. Javad Zarif April 3, 2026 At a funeral ceremony for a killed Iranian military commander, Tehran, April 2026 Majid Asgaripour / West Asia News Agency / Reuters M. JAVAD ZARIF is Associate Professor of Global Studies at the University of Tehran and Founder and President of Possibilities Architects. He previously served as Iran’s Vice President, Foreign Minister, and Permanent Representative in the United Nations. The views expressed here are his own. More by Mohammad Javad Zarif Listen Subscribe to unlock this feature or Sign in . Share & Download Print Subscribe to unlock this feature or Sign in . Save Sign in and save to read later Close Share How Iran Should End the War A Deal Tehran Could Take M. Javad Zarif Share in email Share on Facebook Share on X Share on LinkedIn Copy Link Copied Article link: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/middle-east/how-iran-should-end-war-javad-zarif https://www.foreignaffairs.com/middle-east/how-iran-should-end-war-javad-zarif Copy Create Citation Copied Chicago MLA APSA APA Chicago Cite not available at the moment MLA Cite not available at the moment APSA Cite not available at the moment APA Cite not available at the moment Download PDF This is a subscriber-only feature. Subscribe now or Sign in . Request Reprint Request reprint permissions here . Iran did not start its war with the United States and Israel. But more than a month in, the Islamic Republic is clearly winning it. American and Israeli forces have spent weeks incessantly bombing Iranian territory, killing thousands of people and damaging hundreds of buildings, all in hopes of toppling the country’s government. Yet Iran has held the line and successfully defended its interests. It has maintained continuity of leadership even as its top officials have been assassinated, and it has repeatedly hit back at its aggressors even as they strike at its military, civilian, and industrial facilities. The Americans and the Israelis who started the conflict with delusions of forcing capitulation thus find themselves in a quagmire without an exit strategy. The Iranians, by contrast, have pulled off a historic feat of resistance. To some Iranians, this success is reason to continue fighting until the aggressors are adequately punished rather than to search for a negotiated ending. Every night since February 28, large crowds of proud Iranians have gathered across the country to show their defiance by shouting, “No capitulation, no compromise, fight with America.” After all, the United States has proved that it cannot be trusted in talks and that it will not respect Iran’s sovereignty. By this logic, there is no reason to engage with the country now and offer it an off-ramp. Instead, Tehran should press its advantage, continuing to strike U.S. bases and blocking commerce in the Strait of Hormuz until Washington fundamentally alters its regional presence and posture. Yet although continuing to fight the United States