Iran and the US
It is easier for the Iranians to look threatening in terms of trade passing through the Strait of Hormuz than it is for the Americans to give everybody confidence that it is now safe to travel through. It sounds like they're looking for some kind of knockout blow or some way of inflicting pain on the Iranians that will cause them to back down and I think the problem is is that they're finding that the Iranians, because they're backed in a corner, have a high pain threshold even though this has been devastating for their capabilities so the options aren't good. They might have to accept some kind of negotiation on terms that frankly look very unsatisfactory."
