National February 22, 2021 In an era marked by the challenges of the global pandemic COVID-19, worldwide economic meltdowns, unemployment and food shortages, political rivalry between various nations continues unabated with different powers vying for supremacy. In this bleak milieu, Pakistan provided a welcome respite by hosting a multi-dimensional naval exercise AMAN-2021. Pakistan’s Foreign Office claimed that the participation of 42 countries in the Multinational Maritime Exercise AMAN-21 reflected the country’s global engagement. Prima facie, it would appear to be a nigh impossible task to bring the US and Iran to participate in a naval exercise. After the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani, the commander of Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the elimination of Iran’s top nuclear scientist and the purported mastermind of an alleged atomic-weapons effort, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh by Israel, allegedly with the tacit approval of Washington, DC, has caused the two capitals to be at loggerheads. Tempers have also been running high with aspersions on Tehran’s nuclear weapons’ ambitions. With the change of guard at the White House, there is still hope of softening of the hard stances adopted; but time will tell.