The war on Iran has left the U.S. in a difficult position in the Persian Gulf, and if the crisis escalates, it can hurt Washington badly, says Joshua Landis, a professor of Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma. In an interview with The Hindu, Mr. Landis said U.S. President Donald Trump’s blockade of Iran is doomed to fail, but Israel, which doesn’t support the ceasefire with Iran, would try to drag the U.S. back into a conflict with Iran. Edited excerpts: