A few weeks ago, a news report indicated that US President Donald Trump had asked his advisers why Iran did not roll back its nuclear programme despite US military pressure. Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Envoy for the Middle East, said the President wondered why Iran did not ‘capitulate’ in the face of military pressure. The Persian panache for survival is best reflected in the ‘resistance economy’ that has withstood US, UN, and international sanctions for several decades. With oil as its main product, Iran has managed to remain afloat. Another thing Trump appears unable to fathom is why the people of Iran are unable to overthrow the prevailing regime. Note that Israel’s primary aim is to effect regime change, and PM Netanyahu managed to get the US on board, not once, but twice; the first time was last year when both nations bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities. And currently, both countries face a quagmire in Iran, as the US did in Vietnam.