Could a $1 trillion deal reopen the Strait of Hormuz?

Two possibly irreconcilable strategic dilemmas that are joined as Siamese twins are at conceivably every juncture confronting President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The first is how to defeat an enemy whose strategy is to win by not losing? The second is what will it take to reopen the Strait of Hormuz?

As old as history, winning by not losing has been called the strategy of the weak in Sun Tsu’s “The Art of War.” Britain employed it once it had a Navy and could use the English Channel as an uncrossable moat not even Hitler could breach. Then Pearl Harbor brought America into the war.

More recently, Algeria won independence from France, as did North Vietnam, by not losing. North Vietnam repeated its success repelling the U.S. in 1974 despite defeats in all major battles. Fifteen years later in 1989, the Taliban ejected the Soviet Union from Afghanistan and in three decades dealt the U.S. an ignominious defeat and retreat from Kabul, losing virtually every battle. Will Iran succeed against the U.S. and Israel in the same manner?

Iran’s strategy for victory means enduring more pain than its adversaries can tolerate. The tactical and operational prowess of the U.S. and Israeli military might have so far imposed significant costs on Iran’s defense and security capabilities. But the assassination of Ayatollah Khamenei may have backfired. The anointment of his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, has rallied many Iranians as a show of defiance amid the damage being imposed on the........

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