Foreign & Public Diplomacy

President Donald Trump has handled the war with Iran in an unconventional fashion, to say the least. Based on the reporting that has emerged thus far, the president’s long-standing hostility toward Iran, dating back to the 1979 hostage crisis, combined with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s determination to decapitate one of his country’s fiercest adversaries, helped drive the military operations that have now been underway for nearly six months at a cost of at least $37.5 billion.

Since the war began, negotiations over a resolution have been chaotic. Americans have witnessed announcements of ceasefires, violations of those ceasefires, and statements from the administration that bear little resemblance to what is unfolding on their screens. Changing and often contradictory administration statements have suggested that the goals of the war include toppling the governing regime, ushering in democracy, destroying the country’s nuclear and military capabilities, and, most recently, keeping open the Strait of Hormuz—which had been open until the war began. The president has never sought authorization for this war from Congress.

President Donald Trump has handled the war with Iran in an unconventional fashion, to say the least. Based on the reporting that has emerged thus far, the president’s long-standing hostility toward Iran, dating back to the 1979 hostage crisis, combined with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s determination to decapitate one of his country’s fiercest adversaries, helped drive the military operations that have now been underway for nearly six months at a cost of at least $37.5 billion.

Since the war began, negotiations over a resolution have been chaotic. Americans have witnessed announcements of ceasefires, violations of those ceasefires, and statements from the administration that bear little resemblance to what is unfolding on their screens. Changing and often contradictory administration statements have suggested that the goals of the war include toppling the governing regime, ushering in democracy, destroying the country’s nuclear and military capabilities, and, most recently, keeping open the Strait of Hormuz—which had been open until the war began. The president has never sought authorization for this war from Congress.

Currently, the administration appears to be reduced to negotiating a deal that leaves the Iranian regime in place with degraded military capabilities, allows it to retain nuclear material, although in facilities that remain buried or difficult to access—and grants it greater control over the Strait of Hormuz, including, potentially, the ability to charge fees to ships passing through. As with much of Trump’s transactional approach to foreign policy, reports suggest there is no clear plan or coherent strategy within the White House. On any day, a Truth Social post could set the conversation in a different direction. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who presides over a State Department that has been severely depleted of much of its expertise, has only gradually become more involved in the deliberations.

The chaos that has characterized efforts to end the conflict stands in stark contrast to the way most previous presidents have handled difficult negotiations with adversaries. Take, for example, the case of Ronald Reagan after 1985. As a new movie........

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