New York Times Reports Allies Worry US Inability To Turn Military Superiority Into A Sustainably Changed Iran Has Displayed Vulnerability That Russia And China Will Welcome
According to the New York Times, to America’s allies, President Trump’s war in Iran; now in its sixth month, seems headed for a strategic defeat. They worry that the inability of the United States to turn military superiority into a sustainably changed Iran has displayed a vulnerability that Russia and China will welcome.
Trump’s stated goals for the war remain unmet. The US spent over $1 trillion on its military last year yet could not destroy even a majority of Iran’s missile stockpiles. Iran learned during the conflict that its capacity to throttle the Strait of Hormuz through which roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil flows could deliver economic leverage on a worldwide scale.
Paul Musgrave, associate professor of government at Georgetown University in Qatar, argued that the damage to US reputation and credibility from the Iran war is significantly more severe than anything the country suffered in the wake of Vietnam. “Regional allies, many of whom reportedly argued against the venture, bore the brunt of the costs of the fighting.”
Trump has reportedly mused to aides about ending the war without forcing the reopening of Hormuz, instead pressing European and Gulf allies to take the lead on the strait.
America’s allies watched it win every battle. They are watching it lose the war. Check out our previous coverage of the US-Iran war on The Trusted Times.
