Three words of advice for President Donald Trump as he tries to extricate himself from the mess of the Iran war: Just stop talking. Let America’s overwhelming military and economic power do the work.

Trump’s daily barrage of bluster and braggadocio amounts to negotiating with himself. He declares victory one day, resumes war the next. He praises Iran’s leaders, then calls them “scum.” He foolishly announces a 20 percent fee for protecting the Strait of Hormuz and then rescinds the rash proposal the next day. Trump must imagine this nonstop trash talk gives him leverage. He’s wrong. It makes him look weak in the eyes of Iran and the world.

Three words of advice for President Donald Trump as he tries to extricate himself from the mess of the Iran war: Just stop talking. Let America’s overwhelming military and economic power do the work.

Trump’s daily barrage of bluster and braggadocio amounts to negotiating with himself. He declares victory one day, resumes war the next. He praises Iran’s leaders, then calls them “scum.” He foolishly announces a 20 percent fee for protecting the Strait of Hormuz and then rescinds the rash proposal the next day. Trump must imagine this nonstop trash talk gives him leverage. He’s wrong. It makes him look weak in the eyes of Iran and the world.

Zoom out and you can see the chaotic situation more clearly: Iran’s economy is severely weakened; its nuclear facilities are buried under rubble and its top nuclear scientists are dead; its leadership appears divided over whether to do a deal with the United States. Hard-liners exult that they have survived an onslaught from America and Israel, but they don’t seem to have a strategy for what’s next.

Now zoom out on America: Trump is fighting an unpopular war with significant economic costs. He went to war with a poorly defined strategy and no good exit ramp; his negotiators floated an ambitious........

© Foreign Policy