By Reena Bhardwaj

Washington DC [US], April 8 (ANI): Executive Director at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies (FDD) and former US Treasury counterterrorism analyst, Jonathan Schanzer has said that although Iran has 'claimed victory,' the question of the real victor still looms.

Schanzer, in a conversation with ANI, said that the US and Israel waged war on Iran, and Iran declared victory simply by surviving.

'This gets to a core question that has been really difficult to answer for all the wars of the 21st century. The United States and Israel have gone to war, and even if you look at a country like Russia, they go to war and win on a conventional level. They gain territory, degrade their enemy, and prevent their enemy from being able to fight with any real power. And yet, the other side declares victory simply by surviving--simply by waging an asymmetric war in response,' he said on Tuesday (local time).

Schanzer said that Iran claimed victory because it was able to close the Strait of Hormuz with a few asymmetric attacks.

'That's exactly what's happened here. The U.S. and Israel have absolutely dominated the battlefield. They have air superiority; they've destroyed the missiles, the nukes, and the defense industrial base of the Islamic Republic. And yet, standing on the rubble, you have the IRGC waving the flag and saying they've won because they were able to close the Strait of Hormuz with a few asymmetric attacks,' he said.

Schanzer added, 'This is, unfortunately, the playbook for modern warfare. Western nations that want to maintain their edge are going to have to start to redefine either what victory looks like or what the laws of war are at their core. We're just beginning to grapple with this because it's a problem that isn't going away.'

Schanzer said that Iran is trying to tell the world they won, even though everyone knows they lost.

'The question for me is whether the regime has published this list of so-called achievements as a way of gaslighting the world. They are trying to tell the world they won, even though everyone knows they lost. Probably the ultimate audience for this is not the French, Canadians, Germans, or Indians; the audience is the 90 million people who live in Iran. I think the regime is deeply fearful that the people are going to come out and begin to protest again, just as they did in January. The regime was then forced to slaughter 40,000 people to maintain control, and they are fearful of another round of that,' he said.

Schanzer said that Iran fears that the US, Saudi Araba and Israel may try to bring a revolution through covert means.

'They are also fearful that the United States, the Saudis, the Israelis, and others are going to start working through covert means to bring down the regime by providing weapons, assistance, cash, and intelligence to the people of Iran. So, they are trying to project strength. In reality, they are incredibly weak. They've lost many top leaders, a huge amount of income, and a lot of control across the country,' he said.

Schanzer then said that Iran is trying to flex some muscle by claiming this victory.

'The Islamic Republic is not what it was; the regime is bruised, battered, and limping. That is the last thing they want their people to see, so they are trying to flex some muscle. I don't know if this reflects friction in terms of the final agreement; I think this is really about spin on the part of a regime that is in bad shape,' he said.

The comments come as US President Donald Trump has suspended the 'bombing and attack' campaign on Iran, announcing a two-week double-sided ceasefire and saying that the 10-point proposal from Iran was workable.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump, said that ten-point proposal will serve as ground to negotiate for a permanent deal, while reiterating that US has achieved most of its military objectives.

'Based on conversations with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, of Pakistan, and wherein they requested that I hold off the destructive force being sent tonight to Iran, and subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz, I agree to suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks. This will be a double-sided CEASEFIRE!' Trump said. (ANI)