In modern warfare, the goal is not always to win militarily, but to raise the cost of war until negotiations become the only option. That is why wars today often end at the negotiation table, not on the battlefield.In modern geopolitics, especially for a country like Iran, the word surrender is almost meaningless.
What actually happens is:
Strategic concessions
Negotiated de-escalation
Proxy repositioning
Economic recalibration
No serious state publicly surrenders unless it has already collapsed internally.
So yes, in modern geopolitics, what we call “surrender” is usually face-saving negotiation and strategic compromise, not total defeat.