Iran Will Define Trump’s Legacy

Walter Mead: “Two weeks in, it appears to be a stalemate. Devastating airstrikes have not broken the mullahs’ will to resist. The effective closing of the Strait of Hormuz and the global turmoil in energy and stock markets haven’t shaken Mr. Trump’s resolve.”

“For the president, the question is whether he pulls back or dives deeper in. The answer will define his place in history. If the U.S. pulls back from the new Gulf war without reopening the Strait of Hormuz and achieving goals like securing Iran’s nuclear materials, the consequences for Mr. Trump’s power and prestige, at home and abroad, will be profound. ‘Trump always chickens out’ won’t merely be an insult his enemies hurl at him. It will be carved on his tombstone.”

“Yet to advance further into the chaos of an escalating and widening war holds other risks. Unless American forces can break Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, the economic consequences of the war will inexorably grow.”