Why Washington keeps hitting a wall with Iran |
You know that old temptation in American foreign policy — the idea that if you’re strong enough, you can just force reality to go your way? Under Donald Trump, that belief has turned into the main playbook, especially with Iran. It’s not really a clever strategy anymore. It’s more like a high-risk gamble built on a shaky assumption: that raw power decides who’s right, and if you squeeze hard enough, any opponent will eventually cave.
At the center of it all is this “maximum pressure” campaign — crushing sanctions, trying to isolate Iran diplomatically, and always keeping the threat of military action in the background. The aim is to make Tehran surrender on pretty much everything: its nuclear program, its missiles, and its role across the Middle East. The problem is, this approach completely misreads the kind of country Iran actually is and how these lopsided conflicts tend to play out.
Iran isn’t some weak regime on the verge of falling apart. For decades it’s learned how to survive under pressure, building alliances, proxy networks, and enough resilience to keep going even when things get tough.
Resistance isn’t just a tactic for them — it’s baked into their identity. Thinking that economic pain will automatically force political surrender shows how little Washington understands the Islamic Republic.
Resistance isn’t just a tactic for them — it’s baked into their identity. Thinking that economic pain will automatically force political surrender shows how little Washington understands the Islamic Republic.
History keeps proving this point.........