President Trump claimed full sovereignty over the Persian Gulf early in this war – but left it at talk. Iran responded by claiming sovereignty over the Gulf too – and proceeded to take military steps to enforce its claim on the ground. Iran is now acting to set up its institutionalized controls in the Gulf and to extend its territorial claim still further afield.

It has proved an “own goal” for the USA.

Making an unenforced territorial claim usually in fact means scoring an own goal. While we daydream about taking the territory, our verbal threats mobilize our enemies to secure the territory against us.

The President could have been more successful had he proceeded in the opposite........

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