US Attacks Iran 2026

[Szdfan]

Saying that's just "the art of the deal" or that he doesn't mean what he says doesn't help either. If this is the art of the deal, I want no part of it.

I think one of the dynamics I’m realizing about Trump is that he believes dominance over someone else means the weaker party will capitulate and he will get what he wants. To be fair, that’s happened a lot in the past. But what happens when the weaker party doesn’t capitulate? What happens when the weaker party digs in and resists harder?

I think that’s one of the dynamics with Iran. Both sides are declaring victory — Trump for US military superiority and Iran for surviving. Neither side is willing to back down because both sides still believe they can win. Iran has realized that they have leverage by controlling the Straight of Hormuz that they didn’t have before the war. US bombing against Iran has only hardened the regime’s resolve to resist the US.

That kind of stubbornness and resistance doesn’t seem to fit in Trump’s worldview. He stated yesterday that he didn’t care about but the failed peace negotiations because the US had already won the war, but that doesn’t seem to be what’s happening right now.

[JohnH]

The Catholic Church is also absolutely dead wrong about "just war".

The Catholic Church believes that war may be justified at times, but speaks out against most real wars.

Some people believe that war is never justified in theory, but justify real wars and deflect criticism from them.

Yet they have their own literal country with their own literal military, the Swiss Guards.

There is a certain level of inconsistency here.

[JohnH]

I think that’s one of the dynamics with Iran. Both sides are declaring victory — Trump for US military superiority and Iran for surviving. Neither side is willing to back down because both sides still believe they can win. Iran has realized that they have leverage by controlling the Straight of Hormuz that they didn’t have before the war. US bombing against Iran has only hardened the regime’s resolve to resist the US.

Or, counterpoint - now the U.S. controls the straits.

[mike]

I think that’s one of the dynamics with Iran. Both sides are declaring victory — Trump for US military superiority and Iran for surviving. Neither side is willing to back down because both sides still believe they can win. Iran has realized that they have leverage by controlling the Straight of Hormuz that they didn’t have before the war. US bombing against Iran has only hardened the regime’s resolve to resist the US.

Or, counterpoint - now the U.S. controls the straits.

Well, we don’t really know that yet, do we?

[JohnH]

I think that’s one of the dynamics with Iran. Both sides are declaring victory — Trump for US military superiority and Iran for surviving. Neither side is willing to back down because both sides still believe they can win. Iran has realized that they have leverage by controlling the Straight of Hormuz that they didn’t have before the war. US bombing against Iran has only hardened the regime’s resolve to resist the US.

Or, counterpoint - now the U.S. controls the straits.

Well, we don’t really know that yet, do we?

In the same sense that Iran does, of deciding not to let ships in or out. That part is easy. The hard part is stopping someone else from doing the same.

As far as a tit for tat escalation goes, this is far preferable to missile exchanges...

[Soloist]

Its far easier to prevent something then allow something.

Now nations have to choose to either pay Iran and risk the US or "pay" the US and risk Iran.

Iran now ends up with only nations submitting to the US traveling in the strait which means either then US will "protect them" which turns into the first issue or demands the rest of the nations protect the ships.

Iran risks getting other nations involved by attacking any ships now that their toll comes with the risk of US ire and aside from perhaps China, India and Russia I doubt any country is willing to risk it. So effectively the strait is still blockaded by Iran but Iran can't make income off of it now.
The US now has taken "responsibility" to protect ships passing while denying that they are doing so. Which results in a worse political outcome for Iran or US? who knows.

Iran is going to suffer more for the poor, the food imported primarily.

[ohio jones]

Or, counterpoint - now the U.S. controls the straits.

Well, we don’t really know that yet, do we?

In the same sense that Iran does, of deciding not to let ships in or out. That part is easy. The hard part is stopping someone else from doing the same.

As King James puts it, "I am in a strait betwixt two."

[Szdfan]

Its far easier to prevent something then allow something.

Now nations have to choose to either pay Iran and risk the US or "pay" the US and risk Iran.

Iran now ends up with only nations submitting to the US traveling in the strait which means either then US will "protect them" which turns into the first issue or demands the rest of the nations protect the ships.

Iran risks getting other nations involved by attacking any ships now that their toll comes with the risk of US ire and aside from perhaps China, India and Russia I doubt any country is willing to risk it. So effectively the strait is still blockaded by Iran but Iran can't make income off of it now.
The US now has taken "responsibility" to protect ships passing while denying that they are doing so. Which results in a worse political outcome for Iran or US? who knows.

Iran is going to suffer more for the poor, the food imported primarily.

I don’t see how this is going to help if the entire point of this is to open the Strait and decrease the cost of oil. It seems like more deadlock.

[JohnH]

I don’t see how this is going to help if the entire point of this is to open the Strait and decrease the cost of oil. It seems like more deadlock.

It doesn't, but it does make it so if Iran won't let the Gulf countries ship their oil, then Iran can't either.

[Szdfan]

I don’t see how this is going to help if the entire point of this is to open the Strait and decrease the cost of oil. It seems like more deadlock.

It doesn't, but it does make it so if Iran won't let the Gulf countries ship their oil, then Iran can't either.

Which is a lose-lose situation for everyone.

Essentially, the US is blocking something that’s already blocked, which was only blocked because of the US in the first place.

Part of what makes this so wild is that Trump was talking a joint US-Iran venture to charge tolls just a few days ago.