The 60-day ceasefire window built into the framework to end the six-month U.S.-Iran war was the formal truce mechanism. Both sides missed it. That lapse closed the architecture: the agreed path to a negotiated settlement is gone, and any future talks require building a new framework from the ground up.
Washington's next move is a financial campaign that U.S. officials describe as the greatest offensive the United States has ever mounted against Iran. Tehran's stated response is a threat to seize ships.
Formal ceasefire frameworks matter because they establish a structured path to a settlement, distinct from a general openness to negotiation. A defined 60-day window gives both sides something concrete to work toward. Once it lapses, that path is closed.
With the mechanism gone, both sides have moved to escalation tools. Washington has signaled the scope of its financial campaign through officials' own characterization: "greatest offensive." Tehran has countered with a threat of ship seizures, a tool that creates direct pressure on maritime operations.
The six-month war has no standing truce architecture. Both escalation paths are now active.