“In The Atlantic, national security scholar Tom Nichols noted that even without the details, “it is clear that Trump has failed to achieve every one of the goals he put forward for this war of choice, and now he is determined to sign, seal, and deliver America’s capitulation as quickly as possible.”

Iran’s government is intact and now under the control of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Strait of Hormuz is under Iran’s control, Iran has significant drone and missile stocks, Iran can continue to sponsor terrorism, and money will flow to Iran. Nichols points out that Iran leaves the conflict stronger than before. Any claims that Trump managed to limit Iran’s nuclear ambitions is “silly,” Nichols notes: the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was working to limit Iran’s nuclear enrichment before Trump tore the agreement up in 2018, and when Trump chose to start bombing in February 2026, Iran was “nowhere near getting a bomb.”

Nichols notes that Trump’s declaration that the strait is open is “terrific, but such a statement has about as much effect as I or my wife or my cat declaring the strait open; only Iran can make that decision.” He concludes: “The war leaves Iran battered, but more powerful and with more cash at its disposal, while it leaves America weaker, with important stocks of weapons depleted, and with its consumers paying the price for the war at the gas pump.”” —Heather Cox Richardson