Returning from a peaceful holiday is never easy, especially when the real world is so far from peaceful. The first headline greeting me was the U.S. and Iran exchanging fire for the first time in a month. An end to the war that began six months ago remains as elusive as ever.
Many of you responded to our callout for your questions about the war in Iran. Thank you. Below are a few that came up a lot, with answers from my colleagues.
Your questions about the Iran war, answered
How far might Trump go? If he were to lose the November election, could the situation spiral out of control? — Flavio Nardini, Italy
David Sanger, who covers the White House and national security, writes:
It is difficult to know how far President Trump will go with the Iran war; he revels in unpredictability. But all the recent indications suggest that, at least for the immediate future, he is unlikely to return to full-scale military action. Clearly, it did not produce the results he anticipated. He’s now back to economic sanctions. But if there is a significant event — say, an Iranian attack that kills Americans or a major cyberattack on the U.S. — that could change. And the U.S. seems likely to keep a major military presence in the region for the foreseeable future.
One note on the midterms: If Democrats perform strongly and they win the House or Senate, or both, the investigations into the war will begin as soon as they take control.
To what extent has the war strengthened the regime and weakened the opposition? — Bernd Weber, Germany
Yeganeh Torbati, who covers Iran, writes:
When you look at Iran’s history, it’s true that the regime is most united when it faces an outside enemy. It’s also true that the authorities have carried out a wave of executions of protesters this year, often justifying them by claiming that the protesters had been assisting Iran’s enemies.
At the same time, the government has responded to peaceful protests with deadly violence at times when there have been no outside threats. My own assessment is that the threat or existence of war helps the government more easily justify acts of repression that it was already inclined to carry out.
How has the war affected American power, including the credibility of its president and its ability to deter rival powers? — Pia Bungarten, Germany
Steven Erlanger, who covers global diplomacy, writes:
Failure breeds doubt, and this war has failed to bring about key American and Israeli goals. The Strait of Hormuz is now blocked, and there has been no progress on ending Iran’s nuclear program, let alone its ballistic missile and drone production. And the U.S. has failed to protect its own bases and its regional allies.
Consequently, American credibility has taken a big hit. The U.S. military is second to none, but military power has not been married to a successful strategic outcome. And the U.S. now has a shortfall in key air defense munitions, both for itself and its treaty allies, that will take years to rectify. Adversaries like Russia and China will take note.
Could an international body administer the Strait of Hormuz, instead of Iran or Oman? — S. Jayakumar, India
Neil MacFarquhar, who recently wrote about the waterway dispute, writes:
Iran has said its future national security now depends on its control over the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. doesn’t want that, but the military commitment required to reopen the strait without Iran’s consent would risk too many American casualties to be considered viable.
One proposal being discussed, inspired by arrangements elsewhere in the world, is that all eight states bordering the Persian Gulf create a consortium to oversee operations. The consortium could levy a kind of environmental maintenance fee on some of the ships that pass through, which, since it’s not technically a toll, would be legal under international law. Official Iranian media outlets have expressed interest in the proposal. How Trump might respond is anybody’s guess.
What, if any, international organizations are providing support to all the crews of all the ships marooned in the waters surrounding the Strait of Hormuz? — Jeff Bondett, Canada
Jenny Gross, who covers trade and logistics, writes:
According to the U.N., the well-being of the roughly 6,000 sailors still stranded in the Persian Gulf is primarily the responsibility of the shipping companies that employ them. The result is a really mixed picture.
Some companies are making sure sailors have enough food, and are regularly swapping out crews to give them breaks from the dangers and stress of working on what has effectively become a front line. But our reporting tells us that some sailors are subsisting on rice and lentils, and that some have gone months without pay.
There are groups that represent sailors, like the International Transport Workers’ Federation and Stella Maris, the official maritime charity of the Catholic Church. These groups liaise with companies to try to improve conditions on the ships, but there are limits to what they can do. Some sailors are on vessels that are the target of sanctions and often don’t comply with maritime rules. Crew members can ask to be evacuated and flown home, but that requires the cooperation of the immigration authorities in nearby countries. And many crew members are on short-term contracts and may be reluctant to refuse a dangerous voyage out of fear that they will be blacklisted by employers.
MORE TOP NEWS
A principal saved 900 students in Nepal
Rajendra Dawadi was teaching a class at the Tribhuvan Trishuli School in Nuwakot, north of Kathmandu, on Wednesday when a staff member burst into the classroom, shouting that a major flood was headed their way. Dawadi told the roughly 900 children who were present to run to higher ground.
Minutes later, a deluge of water, mud and debris swept through the area and destroyed the school. “We saved lives, but now there is no place to teach the students,” Dawadi said.
WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING
OPINIONS
The Kremlin is redefining what it means to be an author in Russia, the writer Natasha Kiseleva argues.
Asking for help is crucial in a life-or-death crisis. It’s also key to becoming successful, Angela Duckworth writes.
Dolly Parton represented the best of the American South, but she also knew it was a place of deep pain, David French writes.
HEAVY LIFT OF THE DAY
The residents of the Japanese city of Hirosaki came together to move a 400-ton landmark. Their efforts are part of the ancient tradition of hikiya, which involves relocating buildings with rollers and ropes rather than dismantling them. Some tenacious schoolchildren got in on the action by gritting their teeth, bending their knees and chanting.
In a rare rave, my colleague Dwight Garner has declared Marlon James’s new novel, “The Disappearers,” to be the novel of the decade, and possibly of the century. Devouring the 600-plus-page epic was, he says, “one of the signal reading experiences of my adult life.” It’s out today in the U.S. and later this month in the U.K.
The story is about the gay experience and murderous homophobia in ’80s and ’90s Jamaica. In an interview with The Times, James said writing it was his attempt, as an out gay man now based in the U.S., to “confront the story I was not allowed to live” in his native Jamaica. Read Garner’s review and our profile of James.
AROUND THE WORLD
Spain cools on late dinners
Spaniards have long eaten later than people elsewhere in Europe, a tradition that many see as part of their national identity. Families gather around their dinner tables late at night and restaurants remain filled way past 10 p.m.
But evidence suggests that Spain is moving dinnertime earlier. A restaurant reservation platform reports that 8 p.m. bookings in Spain have nearly tripled from 2019, while 10 p.m. reservations have halved. The reasons for the change are not entirely clear, but one factor might be the Covid pandemic, which ruptured old routines. Read more about Spain’s shifting dinner habits.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Watch: The movie “Filipiñana” uses a golf course to explore the Philippines’ deep divides over land and class.
Listen: The British D.J., producer and composer Floating Points, who has a new album, makes music for the dance floor and the ballet stage.
Katsu is a popular Japanese comfort food of breaded cutlets. Serve these golden-brown fried chicken breasts with crunchy shredded cabbage, steamed rice and a generous drizzle of sweet-savory katsu sauce.