Trump’s war with Iran completes America’s strategic retreat in the Middle East

Six months after Donald Trump launched his operation against Iran, the campaign has become what the analysis describes as an embarrassing draw for the United States. Rather than producing a rapid collapse of Iran’s Islamic Republic, the conflict has left Washington struggling to escape a strategic impasse.

The operation began around Iran’s nuclear program but developed into a broader contest over the Strait of Hormuz. The strategic waterway remained open until the day before operations began and has since become the central regional issue.

The conflict now stands between an uncertain ceasefire and an elusive peace agreement. In that form, the campaign increasingly resembles the kind of “endless wars” Trump repeatedly criticized among his predecessors.

The analysis says the war has reduced American prestige in a region where the United States had long been the dominant power. It also argues that the fighting has given the Islamic Republic renewed room to challenge the international order and that Tehran is determined to maintain its de facto control over the international waters around Hormuz.