Overview
- Military historian Bret Devereaux says the war has locked both sides into a fight that is hard to leave without major costs.
- Devereaux argues Trump’s bet that airstrikes would topple Iran’s leaders failed, leaving Washington vulnerable to events it cannot steer.
- After leaders framed the campaign as regime change, Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz, which sent global energy prices soaring.
- Ilan Goldenberg says thousands of U.S. troops are moving toward the Gulf in a buildup that points to further escalation, with Kharg Island seen as a likely target.
- Nicholas Grossman and Goldenberg say Iran holds unusual economic leverage and that the most plausible exit is a U.S. claim of victory that leaves Iran’s rulers in place.