The U.S. military, working alongside the Israeli armed forces, pummeled its targets in the first fortnight of war and significantly damaged the Iranian military’s capabilities, while also carrying out what is believed to be the deadliest accidental American attack on civilians in decades. Military officials privately acknowledge that the more pressure Washington faces from the economic shock of a closed strait, the higher the chance that Trump will hasten an exit from the war, which would leave the Pentagon less time to dismantle Iran’s ballistic-missile, drone, and naval capabilities. During Trump’s first term, then–Secretary of Defense James Mattis was a clear-eyed realist when it came to combat; he was fond of quoting the military maxim that “the enemy gets a vote,” emphasizing the need to prepare for the worst.
Author: Jonathan Lemire, Nancy A. Youssef
Published at: 2026-03-17 23:50:00
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