New Delhi, June 21 -- Signed by US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian last week after months of confrontation, the US-Iran agreement reflects less a resolution of underlying tensions than a recognition by all parties that the cost of continued conflict had become unsustainable.

The accord emerged in the aftermath of a dangerous cycle of escalation triggered by military operations beginning on 28 February, including US and Israeli strikes on Iranian targets, retaliatory Iranian actions, disruptions to maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and wider hostilities across the region, particularly involving Hezbollah in Lebanon.

But the memorandum of understanding (MoU) should not be mistaken for a comprehensive ...