War with Iran makes the prospects for peace in the Middle East better in the long run

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon said Tuesday that while the war in Iran poses near-term risks, it could ultimately improve the prospects for lasting peace in the Middle East.

“I think the Iran war makes it a better opportunity in the long term — and perhaps more risky in the short term, because we don’t know the outcome,” Dimon told Palantir CEO Mike Gallagher at a conference in Washington, D.C.

The main shift, according to Dimon, is the convergence of interests between regional powers. He said that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, the United States and Israel want lasting peace, adding that the Gulf states in particular have shown their willingness to move in this direction.

“The situation is not the situation it was 20 years ago,” Damon said. “They all want it.”

Dimon, who leads the world’s largest bank by market value, also linked his analysis directly to the economy, saying foreign direct investment – which has been flowing into the region for years – will dry up without stability.

“They can’t have neighbors launching ballistic missiles at their data centers,” he said.

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