During the American Civil War of 1861-65 the same problem of command arose. The insurrectionists had a unified command structure. The US defenders did not. Each US State sent an army commanded by a Major General. The States had the sole posse comitatus power to draft men into service when the volunteer ranks thinned. Brig Gen Joseph Hooker of Massachusetts was heard to say at a staff meeting that adjourned to a tavern for steak and ale, "We need something like a dictator that can order the nearest brigade to fight." In a meeting at the White House the next morning, President Lincoln laid out strategy for Hooker's next campaign, a cavalry recce across Northern Virginia while the infantry fanned out from railways for logistical support, with capability to engage the enemy if needed, Lincoln awoke Hooker to how many federal agents listened to meetings of officers, saying, "I'll risk the dictator. Get me a win!" As things worked out, the enemy ignored Hooker's fast march across Maryland to their detriment, invading Maryland days later then marching north to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and massive defeat, news of which reached Brig Gen Ulysses S Grant at Vicksburg, Mississippi where the insurrectionist fort that menaced commerce on the Mississippi River had been besieged over a year, the last mouse on post had been eaten, there was no sign relief was coming, and the enemy commander struck his colors and hoisted a bedsheet. learning after becoming an EPW that instead of marching to his relief, the enemy high commander, Lee, had invaded Pennselvania with some 70,000 men, got 28,000 of them killed, and faced, after a posse comitatus call by the county sheriff at Balltimore, Hooker's regulars plus the new guys from Baltimore, fanning back out across rural Maryland to block Lee's supply line. Lee had no choice but to retreat back into Virginia. Buoyed by the win, the Congress took Hooker's advice and created the new rank of Lieutenant General, who answered directly to the President and had command of all the Major Generals. Fresh off the siege win with an army of sappers he'd trained himself while they held their trench lines, Grant needed new duty and Lincoln named him to the LTG post. Sometimes when you focus on doing your duty, obvious solutions to problems become obvious. Does it harm anything for EU-owned merchantmen to have an EU naval vessel or two providing an armed escort through waters infested by modern pirates? Not obviously. So if the EU are scared witless of Iranian terrorists and only want to fire on Houthi pirates when fired upon, they are being of help to the overall mission. Just before handing off the reins of power to the Biden Administrstion, master business negotator Donald Trump cautioned Iran that they had never won a war and never lost a negotiation. 4 years later when Trump returned to the White House, Iran had expanded one war in Syria that they had been slowly losing, began three new wars that they could not win either, and almost certainly would have their Gettysburg moment, when it will become obvious to the negotiators they must start working out a peace deal then let Nato pound into the thicker skulls of Tehran why they need that peace deal their top negotiators just worked out, albeit behind their backs