BlockBeats News, July 21st – U.S. intelligence reporter John Hudson stated that the U.S. intelligence community assessment shows a pessimistic view of a new round of military strikes against Iran: current and former officials say these strikes are unlikely to have a significant impact on Iran or to soften its negotiating stance.

According to U.S. intelligence analysts, Tehran and Washington are in an indefinite stalemate between war and peace, and the increasingly lethal tit-for-tat hostilities between the two countries are unsettling. Furthermore, they point out that intelligence assessments on issues like Iran are not meant to make specific predictions about the future. Instead, they are based on all available clandestine intelligence (including human spies and technical collection) as well as open-source information to outline current and potential future trends. (FXStreet)