A Humiliating Defeat [View all]

Trump's policies are a disaster for America. His illegal, unnecessary war has left us weaker and Iran stronger. Controlling the Strait is better than a nuclear bomb.

Joe Cirincione
Apr 12, 2026

Of course the one-day negotiations with Iran failed. After being forced to fly half-way around the world to talk to the Iranians in their neighboring state of Pakistan, the most inept vice-president in American history flew home in defeat, trailed by Trump’s billionaire son-in-law and his billionaire golf partner. This team has been unable to negotiate anything of lasting value anywhere. Why would we expect them to negotiate Iran’s surrender? It took a year of work by America’s top professionals, including John Kerry, Wendy Sherman, Ernie Moniz and Rob Malley under the skilled leadership of Barack Obama to solve this problem. Trump’s Three Amigos didn’t stand a chance.

The New York Times this morning does a great job of summarizing what it calls “a humiliating strategic defeat” in its editorial, “Four Ways Trump’s War Is Weakening America.” Rather than do my own version, I excerpt their key points below. I disagree, however, with their weak conclusion and present my own at the end.

Before I summarize the NYT, let me highlight one stunning point. Almost all the nations that build or want to build nuclear weapons do so for one main reason: security. They want a weapon that can deter other nations from attacking them. If you hit me; I will destroy you.

Iran now has a better weapon. It is one that does not incur the risks and vulnerabilities of trying to build a bomb. Iran now controls the passageway for one-fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas. Until we free ourselves from the tyranny of fossil fuels, this gives Iran an enormous deterrent. It is a vast power that they did not practically possess before Trump launched the stupidest war in American history. Controlling the Strait is the equivalent of a nuclear arsenal.

Here is how the Times puts it.

Continued https://open.substack.com/pub/joecirincione/p/a-humiliating-defeat