The Trump administration’s approach to the ongoing conflict with Iran is shaping up to be a textbook case of military miscalculation—one that, in retrospect, makes the Bush administration’s invasion of Iraq appear almost tactical in comparison.
As the war progresses, fresh revelations continue to surface about the series of flawed assumptions underpinning the Trump administration’s planning and execution, leading to an increasingly precarious situation.
The Pentagon and National Security Council significantly underestimated Iran’s willingness to close the Strait of Hormuz in response to US military strikes during the planning of the ongoing operation, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.
President Donald Trump’s national security team failed to fully consider the potential ramifications of what some officials have described as a worst-case scenario now confronting the administration, sources indicated.
It is truly perplexing that the administration would overlook the possibility of Iran blocking access to the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic waterway that has been historically recognized by Middle East analysts and previous administrations alike as a likely response to perceived threats against the Iranian regime.
This anticipated reaction from Iran was neither obscure nor unforeseen.
A classic indicator that any administration may be losing ground on a critical issue is when officials start to whine about unfavorable media coverage, much like Secretary Pete Hegseth did recently.
Hegseth remarked:
Some in this crew in the press just can’t stop. Allow me to make a few suggestions. People look up at the TV and they see banners, they see headlines. I, I used to be in that business and I know that everything is written intentionally. For example, a banner or a headline, Mideast war intensifies splashing on the screen the last couple of days alongside visuals of civilian or energy targets that Iran has hit because that’s what they do.
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