Donald Trump's military campaign against Iran has spiraled into a disastrous, unwinnable conflict, with the president himself emerging as the world's greatest danger, according to foreign affairs commentator Simon Tisdall. Writing in a scathing opinion piece, Tisdall argues that Trump's feckless and clueless leadership has dragged the United States into a limitless fiasco and the world into an economic quagmire.
Trump's Iran War: A Pattern of Failure
Tisdall notes that Trump launched the war without consulting Congress, US allies, or the American public, lacking a clear plan or long-term strategy. He relied on dubious assurances of swift victory from Israel's prime minister and ignored expert assessments. The president expected Iran to capitulate before closing the Strait of Hormuz and was "shocked" by retaliatory attacks on US bases in Gulf states—a reaction that surprised no one else.
Control of the Strait of Hormuz, closed due to US belligerence, has become the White House's limited and elusive objective. The broader US and Israeli war aims—eliminating Iran's nuclear program, degrading its regional militias, and regime change—are less attainable than ever. Tisdall asserts that it is Trump's craven leadership that renders US forces ineffective, not the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Economic and Human Costs Mount
The conflict has inflicted vast human and economic costs. Polls show a majority of Americans oppose the $100 billion, inflation-fuelling war, yet Trump refuses to listen. The bombing of civilian infrastructure could amount to war crimes, and the world scoffs at US impotence. European allies look askance, Washington's enemies chortle with glee, global markets take fright, and the oil price rises again.
"The US's reputation and influence in the world diminish with every missile fired," Tisdall writes. "It's tough being a superpower when no one respects you."
A Pattern of Presidential Stupidity
Tisdall draws parallels to Trump's other foreign policy failures, including the Gaza "peace plan" and his interventions in the Ukraine-Russia war. The Gaza plan's key elements—reconstruction, an international stabilisation force, demilitarisation—have not advanced, and more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed since October's ceasefire. In Ukraine, Trump favored perceived stronger parties and tried to bully President Volodymyr Zelenskyy into quasi-capitulation, then petulantly turned his back on Kyiv while attempting to appease Vladimir Putin.
"Now this pattern of presidential stupidity, impatience and irresponsibility repeats again in Iran," Tisdall says.
No Exit Strategy
Unable to extricate himself, Trump is flailing. A June memorandum of understanding that supposedly froze the conflict for 60 days is fatally flawed, with its fifth paragraph appearing to legitimise de facto Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz. Trump hailed the MoU as a personal triumph but now balks at the consequences. Tehran does not trust him.
"Who does?" Tisdall asks.
The more Trump bombs, the more immoveable the regime becomes, the more conflict intensifies, and the more remote is any chance of resolving the nuclear issue. Trump has no clue how to escape this deepening quagmire, reversing himself within 24 hours on imposing maritime tolls and facing the prospect of a Red Sea blockade by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis.
Global Implications and the American Responsibility
Tisdall warns that Russia and China are watching closely. Putin is happy to see the US channel resources into another Middle East forever war, while China, already a huge beneficiary economically and in soft power, may soon cash in militarily. Congress has told Trump to halt the war or seek authorisation, but he ignores it. Appalled allies dare not check him for fear of permanent rupture.
"The Trump conundrum is ultimately one for the American people to resolve," Tisdall concludes. "They elected him. They saddled the world with this dangerous monster. It's they who may ultimately pay the highest price for his depredations."
He calls for a 2026 declaration of independence from Trump, arguing that far from making America great again, Trump makes it smaller, meaner, more divided, isolated, and unloved.
