CBA: US-Iran conflict could end in May, a month earlier than forecast

A strategist at the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has analyzed that the conflict between the U.S. and Iran could conclude in May, rather than the previously anticipated June. In a report, the strategist stated that the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz suggests substantial progress in peace negotiations. The assessment is that while a ceasefire is not the end of the war itself, it can be seen as the beginning of the end. The strategist added that although the plans proposed by the U.S. and Iran seem largely incompatible, the ceasefire agreement indicates the U.S. is cautiously open to compromise, given that Iran's strategic leverage has not significantly diminished and U.S. allies remain reluctant to offer support. The strategist also warned that as the economic fallout from the war continues to accumulate, markets would show a strong negative reaction if negotiations were to collapse due to political constraints.