For Trump, the Iran War Is Stuck Between Combat and Genuine Peace
New York Times · LC · trust 54/100
The war has deteriorated over the past six months into Mr. Trump’s own version of a “forever war,” with no clear goals and no end in sight.
Listen · 11:38 min Share full article 0 President Trump has been unable so far to broker an agreement to end the war on satisfactory terms. Credit... Kenny Holston/The New York Times By Peter Baker
Peter Baker is the chief White House correspondent and has covered five presidents who managed overseas wars.
Except that it is not. Mr. Trump’s war in Iran, which hit the six-month mark on Friday, is anything but accomplished. Half a year in, the conflict has deteriorated into a quagmire of the president’s own making with no clear goals, no obvious strategy and no end in sight. Mr. Trump, who came to power running against Mr. Bush’s “forever wars,” has staked his presidency on his own version.
For Mr. Trump, it may be the worst of both worlds. He finds himself stuck in a maddening purgatory between full-fledged combat and genuine peace. He is reluctant to resume an all-out bombardment despite his thunderous threats , yet has been unable so far to broker an agreement to end the war on satisfactory terms. He has no victory to take credit for, yet is paying the political price in terms of the toll on the American economy and his party’s chances in the fall elections.
This sort of in-between stasis could in theory extend for a long time, a far cry from the four-to-six-week lightning strike that Mr. Trump predicted when he ordered Operation Epic Fury at the end of February. With no breakthrough in sight, both sides are testing the other’s staying power and Mr. Trump, despite a history of impatience, has made clear that he is “not in a hurry,” as he put it earlier this week.
“There’s not a lot to speak to,” he told reporters on Thursday, disavowing interest in negotiating with Iran at this point. “We don’t want to speak to them; we’re not looking to meet or anything. The strait is open; we’re taking a lot of boats — millions and millions of barrels of oil are coming out of the strait every day.”
In fact, the Strait of Hormuz remains a volatile passage with only a fraction of its prewar shipping traffic , leaving oil markets in flux. While the war killed Iran’s supreme leader, he was replaced by his son and the brutal regime in charge six months ago remains in charge today. Iran’s nuclear program has been damaged but Tehran still refuses to give it up.
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