Nearly 90 days after the United States launched an attack on Iran, Trita Parsi, co-founder and executive vice president of the Quincy Institute, said the U.S. has gained very little from the conflict.The war has claimed 14 Ameri can lives, cost billions of dollars, and driven up gas prices and everyday expenses. The Trump administration is seeking a peace agreement with Iran to end hostilities. While a deal is on the table, the administration is still weighing its options.The U.S. would be in a better position if it never had been started, Parsi said. At this very moment, the only options that remain on the table are to either strike a deal or continue this war. I think the choice should be very easy. It would be much better for the U.S. to reach a deal.RELATED STORY | Trump's Situation Room meeting on potential Iran deal ends without final decisionAs for who has won the war, Parsi said the answer is unclear.If we take a look at the objectives the United States had at the beginning of this war, none of them have been achieved, he said. At the same time, Irans position in many areas has become stronger. They were not controlling the Strait of Hormuz at the beginning of this war.One of the demands of the United States now is to go back to the situation that existed before the war starteda demand that would have been unnecessary had the U.S. not started the war. Without a deal, it is also difficult for the Iranians to say they ultimately won. Yes, they may have had successes militarily, but to truly win, they have to translate this new situation into a new uncontested order.The Trump administration hopes to eliminate Irans ability to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons. In 2015, the Obama administration reached a deal with Iran that allowed the nation to keep some uranium stockpiles under strict monitoring to ensure the material could not be used to make nuclear weapons.That agreement was subsequently canceled by Trump during his first term.RELATED STORY | Iran condemns US strikes as a show of 'bad faith' and warns of consequencesParsi said the Trump proposal could be stronger in terms of removing Irans uranium stockpiles but weaker without robust inspections.One potential benefit of the new deal, Parsi said, is opening the Iranian economy to U.S. businesses. Under the Obama-era deal, American companies were largely barred from doing business in Iran.Trump has been critical of the Obama administration for unfreezing Iranian assets, but Parsi noted that striking a new deal might require similar concessions.Trump is, of course, in a tough position because he criticized these things when Obama was doing it, Parsi said. ...read more read less