Iran war: Trump can continue the same failed policies - or shape a historic legacy Submitted by Seyed Hossein Mousavian on Tue, 09/01/2026 - 15:57 Bombing and sanctions have not worked. The US president must seize this moment to establish a comprehensive regional security framework US President Donald Trump is pictured in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on 17 August 2026 (Jim Watson/AFP) On In recent days, several high-level regional diplomatic initiatives have signalled an effort to revive US - Iran negotiations. Pakistan ’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, travelled to Tehran last month, followed by the foreign ministers of Oman and Qatar , each seeking to preserve the Islamabad memorandum of understanding signed by US President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, in June. According to Iranian officials, Tehran delivered a consistent message to all three mediators: Washington should return to the Islamabad memorandum and work towards ending the wars across all regional fronts as the basis for renewed negotiations. Yet while Iran and Oman have reached an agreement to open a temporary new shipping route through the Strait of Hormuz, Washington rejected Tehran’s proposal to return to the Islamabad agreement, and resumed military escalation by striking rocket launchers on Larak Island. Iran responded with missile attacks on US bases in Jordan , reinforcing the cycle of confrontation, and signalling that the US remains more committed to coercion than diplomacy. Eight years ago, Trump abandoned the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, widely regarded as former President Barack Obama’s signature diplomatic legacy.