Ending the War with Iran is Getting Further Away…Trump’s Four Bad Options

Over the last 24 hours, the war with Iran escalated…again. Iran targeted American forces in Jordan. There were also attacks in Iraq, while a U.S. tanker was among two ships that caught fire in Egypt from being hit by Iranian drones. President Trump threatened to retaliate with heavy bombings which have occurred since yesterday. Perhaps to introduce some levity into the situation, the President said, “Now it is our turn.”

The war has reached a difficult juncture. The Memorandum of Understanding between Iran and the U.S. from last June led to a partially implemented ceasefire, but with no long-lasting results. It is obvious that President Trump wants the war to end. Multiple public opinion polls indicate that more than 60% of U.S. citizens do not approve of the war (due to ethical concerns, lack of progress, increasing gasoline prices, military deaths, expansion of the war throughout the region). What are Trump’s options?

1. Walk away from the war and claim victory. Trump can just bring the ships and troops back from the Middle East and claim that the war was “successful”. This is hard to square with reality. Gas prices over $4.00 scream from every gas station (due to Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz). This closure has provided Iran with more leverage, not less. There has not been any positive regime change. Iran still sits upon buried uranium reserves.
2. Let the war languish between escalating military strikes and fruitless ceasefires. This is not promising. Successful military strikes have not produced an end to the war. Iran has shown it can endure these attacks. Iran does not need to win, just to survive. This also involves a serious decline in U.S. reserves of ballistics, drones, and other military weapons. This option merely leads to another “endless” war in the Middle East.
3. Negotiate an end to the war with acceptable agreements on the difficult issues of nuclear proliferation and the Strait of Hormuz. These two issues imply that Trump has lost his strongest arguments. I cannot imagine Trump accepting these two concessions. Trump hates appearing weak.
4. Walk away from the war and admit that starting the war was a colossal mistake: ethical, economical, and military.

Athough this fourth option is the most honest and most courageous, I don’t believe our president is up to the task nor mature enough to do so.