I like your term stymied as that implies the action is not finished but a new approach is needed. The enemy is hanging on but for how long? Iran is quite a differnt country in that citizens live in fear should they do anything the ruling class disaproves of. Could be sometime before the opressed have a chance to cause a change. The government just killed 3 young men it did not approve of they were in the olympics. That type of action keeps the people in fear.