By TRH World Desk
Former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Jennifer Gavito says the US-Iran conflict has no military solution and predicts diplomacy will ultimately return despite renewed fighting. She believes both Washington and Tehran will eventually be forced back to negotiations, with an existing MOU serving as the basis for future engagement.
New Delhi, July 15, 2026 — Former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Iran and Iraq Jennifer Gavito believes the latest escalation between the United States and Iran is unlikely to produce a lasting military outcome, arguing that diplomacy remains the only viable path to resolving the crisis.
Speaking to Al Arabiya English, Gavito said diplomatic engagement has continued behind the scenes despite the renewed phase of military confrontation.
“I think we’ve seen indications that the diplomacy is continuing despite the fact that we’re back to a fairly hot phase of this conflict,” she said.
According to Gavito, the events of recent months have reinforced a key lesson for policymakers in Washington and Tehran.
“I think that we’ve learned some lessons over the last few months. Chief among them is that there is no military solution to this war,” she said.
She argued that negotiations are therefore inevitable, regardless of the intensity of the current military exchanges. “So it is inevitable that we will come back to diplomacy to resolve this,” Gavito added.
The former US official noted that, in the short term, Washington is likely to continue targeting what it considers strategic military assets, while Iran will seek to maintain leverage over one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints.
“In the meantime, the United States will take the opportunity to try to strike some strategic targets… and certainly for Iran, it will continue to figure out how to assert its strategic control over the Strait of Hormuz,” she said.
However, Gavito maintained that neither side can achieve its objectives through military means alone. “At the end of the day, there really is no solution to it,” she said.
Looking ahead, Gavito said she expects diplomatic negotiations to regain prominence, with the existing memorandum of understanding (MOU) serving as the framework for future engagement.
“I think it’s inevitable that we get back to a point where the MOU is the guiding document,” she added.
Her remarks come as tensions in the Gulf remain elevated following renewed US military operations and Iran’s continued efforts to project influence across the region, raising concerns over regional stability and the security of global energy supplies.
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