Tanzania, April 2 -- After one month of war against Iran, one conclusion stands out more clearly than anything declared in all the press briefings: Neither the US nor Israel entered this confrontation with a plan for a long war.

The campaign was conceived as a short and brutal episode, a shock operation designed to break Iran's will, force Tehran back to the table on humiliating terms, or in the most ambitious fantasies circulating around Donald Trump's political circle, trigger internal collapse and perhaps even regime change.

Israel's aim was somewhat different, though complementary. It wanted to inflict the maximum possible damage on Iran's military and strategic infrastructure, weaken it for years, and reshape the regional balance t...