India, April 8 -- In a hard-hitting conversation on Hindustan Times' Point Blank, Executive Editor Shishir Gupta and Senior Anchor Aayesha Varma dissected the so‑called "ceasefire" in the Middle East that has followed 40 days of intense conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran, with the Gulf region as unexpected collateral damage. What emerged was a stark assessment: despite trillions spent, hundreds of lives lost and the Gulf pummeled, the core political and military objectives of the war remain largely unmet.

US President Donald Trump has announced a two‑week ceasefire, mediated by Pakistan and reportedly nudged along by China, after earlier threatening to "destroy Iranian civilization." On paper, this sounds lik...