Trump painted US into a corner in Iran

President Donald Trump’s reckless war of choice has empowered the hardline leaders of Iran and given them a stranglehold over the global economy. 

Trump didn’t have a clear plan on how to best conduct the war or bring it to an end; he didn’t sell the war to the American people, Congress or our allies; he didn’t anticipate Iran’s ability to close the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting the world’s oil supply and rattling financial markets; and he didn't anticipate Iran’s attacks on neighboring Gulf states, although experts predicted them.

His options are only getting worse. He can't end the war or even stop it from spreading. With recent joint U.S.-Saudi strikes, the Houthi actions in the Red Sea, and the recent air strikes in Iraq and Egypt, the war now involves virtually every country in the region. And the conflict has expanded into global political and economic systems far beyond the Middle East.

The U.S. has already struck more than 13,000 targets in Iran, and the bombardment has proved futile. Sometimes the best thing you can do is not make a messy predicament worse, which is what doubling down on a bombing strategy would do.

Trump could do his alternate reality thing, declare military victory and withdraw all American forces. But a withdrawal that leaves Iran’s regime and leverage intact would be widely seen as a failure. There is no good way out of this that both ends the war and fulfills any of Trump’s vague and changing goals.