The Failure of America’s War Against Iran Leaves the Public Weary of the ‘American Khamenei’

When the United States planned to liquidate Cuba, it was already destined that Trump would make major concessions on the Iran issue. The final outcome was the signing of a treaty between the U.S. and Iran that, from the American perspective, was humiliating—almost a plea for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Not only were Iranian funds unfrozen, but $300 billion in reconstruction aid was provided. The entire agreement was essentially a replay of Obama’s Iran deal.

In the war, Iran’s losses were limited to its relatively outdated naval and air forces, along with several dozen senior officials including the head of the theocratic government. The regime itself remained intact, merely accelerating internal power transitions. To quell domestic uprisings, the Iranian government suppressed more than 40,000 protesters, who became sacrifices of Trump’s agreement. Iran received funds from the U.S. government to rebuild its administration and military. Groups such as Hamas, the Houthis, and Hezbollah will inevitably gain more financial support in the near future. As for nuclear facilities, they will certainly be rebuilt; Iran does not even need to hand over enriched uranium, and restarting centrifuges is only a matter of time. Previously, under sanctions, Iran could only export oil cheaply to China; after the agreement, it can sell globally. The killing of Khamenei and hundreds of senior officials was interpreted by many Muslims as martyrdom, elevating them to sainthood.

Thus, Iran’s presence in the Middle East was actually strengthened, becoming the true anti-American leader that withstood the U.S.–Iran war. The months-long conflict was nothing more than a clumsy farce, a political performance launched without careful planning, attempting to replicate the decapitation” success in Venezuela. It was meant to boost Trump’s faltering midterm election prospects, but ended in failure, forcing humiliating concessions to Iran. Without deploying ground forces for long-term suppression, it was impossible to quickly subdue the most powerful anti-American state in the region. Iran’s national and military strength is far beyond that of small Latin American countries. Israel lacks the capacity to completely resolve Iran’s nuclear issue; at best, military strikes can delay progress. Without a full-scale war, the U.S. cannot solve the problem. Before launching the war, America had made no preparations for a comprehensive conflict—the rationale was nothing more than Trump’s personal will and Israel’s one-sided narrative.

Even after the U.S. and Israel employed aggressive military measures and decapitated large numbers of Iranian leaders, Iran did not surrender. The government refused compromise, continued ountermeasures, and maintained the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, striking U.S. allies in the region across military, energy, transportation, and civilian infrastructure. As a result, Trump was forced into major concessions, ultimately ending the war hastily to avoid inflation driven by soaring energy prices. The “points” gained from Maduro’s decapitation in Venezuela were lost, even turned into negatives. A U.S. president cannot make major political, economic, or military decisions based solely on personal will. As the world’s largest democracy, America cannot revert to a monarchical era where a leader’s personal desires dictate national and foreign policy.

Iran, as the Middle East’s foremost anti-American state and Israel’s greatest threat, indeed requires military measures to resolve its nuclear issue. The theocratic regime arguably needs to be overthrown. Yet the overthrow of the secular Pahlavi government and the rise of the theocracy was itself a result of U.S. misjudgment. The failure of the recent war mirrors that past mistake—again caused by presidential miscalculation. Iran’s government did not collapse; its ally Russia benefited from partial energy sanctions relief, while China advanced its electric vehicle exports amid the oil crisis. Iran’s war losses were compensated by U.S. payments, even accelerating domestic power transitions. Regional anti-American forces will continue to receive more funding, and Iran’s international sanctions were effectively lifted, making it the biggest beneficiary.

The U.S. won every battle but lost the war. The greatest casualty was Trump himself—his scheming backfired, costing him credibility. His midterm election prospects collapsed further, as the American public grew weary of this “American-style Khamenei.”