![Ballistic missiles, air defense systems and unmanned aerial vehicles are displayed at Baharestan Square as part of Iran's "Sacred Defense Week" amid ongoing tensions in Tehran, Iran, on September 29, 2026. [Fatemeh Bahrami - Anadolu Agency]](https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/AA-20260929-42602253-42602218-BALLISTIC_MISSILES_AND_UNMANNED_AERIAL_VEHICLES_DISPLAYED_IN_TEHRAN-1.jpg)
The hardest question about ending the war with Iran belongs in Washington. What place can Iran occupy after the fighting stops? A country left economically excluded, unable to rebuild and exposed to renewed attack has little reason to regard a ceasefire as a durable ending. The war cannot be politically settled while Iranian recovery remains an unacceptable outcome. The latest diplomacy leaves that question unresolved. Tehran has received US feedback, through Qatar, on a seven-day trust-building proposal. Yet on 1 October, the US Treasury expanded sanctions against Iran’s automotive and rail sectors, alongside manufacturing and steel networks. Talks about ending the confrontation are proceeding alongside measures that further restrict Iran’s capacity to sustain its economy. Behind this tension lies a […]
