THE US increasingly seems to be mired in a no-win war against Iran. With the conflict in its second month, not only has Iran shown the resilience to resist and conduct effective asymmetric warfare but its chokehold over the Strait of Hormuz has given it extraordinary leverage over global energy markets and the global economy. President Donald Trump, on the other hand, has come under mounting pressure at home and abroad. None of America’s allies — other than Israel — are prepared to back or get drawn into his military misadventure. America is internationally isolated in the war while domestically, rising anti-war sentiment is reflected in the recent massive nationwide protests against Trump’s policies.

Trump himself has been oscillating between talking about an exit from the war and saying the US will “blast Iran back to the stone age”. In his primetime TV address last week, his tone was particularly aggressive. Speaking to a sceptical domestic audience, he said the military operation was “nearing completion” but before that Iran would be hit “extremely hard”.

In recent days, he has also struggled to find an off-ramp. But he is caught in a bind of his own making. If he decides to exit from the war in the prevailing situation, with Iran having the upper hand, it will be seen as a defeat. If he continues the conflict, it will mire the US in a protracted war with no clear end and no sure outcome. Already the war’s economic fallout has plunged global markets into turmoil, sent energy prices spiralling and threatened a global recession, which will also hurt the American economy.

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© Dawn