Why Diplomacy Collapsed Into War

Nate Swanson, former director for Iran at the National Security Council between 2022 and 2025, current director of the Iran strategy project for the Atlantic Council and writer for Foreign Affairs, offers analysis of the war with Iran, and why he thinks Tehran may dictate the terms of the end of the war.

Photo: The aftermath of a March 3, 2026 airstrike on Tehran. (Photo: محمدعلی برنو / Avash Media via Wikimedia Commons/CC 4.0)