Donald Trump is lost in Iran—ineffective and out of his depth, unable to find a way out of the disastrous war he started. Once again, the U.S. military is pounding the country, and increasingly, its civilian infrastructure. As before, this unlawful assault only strengthens the resistance of a hardline regime that cares little for its people’s suffering. How many times have Trump and Pete Hegseth, the Pentagon’s reckless warlord, declared a fake victory? This week, the president claimed he was “winning big.” No one believes him. As the world watches the enormous human and economic cost of his Persian folly, it scoffs at America’s helplessness.
Control of the Strait of Hormuz, now closed because of Trump’s aggression, has become the White House’s limited and elusive goal. The bigger U.S. and Israeli war aims—eliminating Iran’s nuclear program, weakening its regional militias, and achieving regime change—are further out of reach than ever. It’s Trump’s cowardly leadership that makes U.S. forces ineffective, not the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. If Iran really is the existential threat he claims, the logical move would be all-out conquest. When George W. Bush decided Iraq was too dangerous to ignore, he invaded with 170,000 ground troops. It was a disaster. But at least Bush had courage.
Bone-spur Trump wouldn’t dare try anything like that in Iran, and for that small mercy, the world should probably be grateful. But he also won’t admit his mistake in recklessly starting a fight he can’t finish. Instead, he’d rather expose civilians and U.S. troops to an unwinnable forever war of attrition, endanger Gulf Arab allies, damage the global economy, risk devastating famine in developing countries, please tyrants from Moscow to Beijing, tear up international law, and ruin his Republican party’s election chances—than accept he blundered and seek a diplomatic solution through stalled “peace talks.”
Trump’s self-love, not Iran, is the world’s number one enemy. He’s the main reason this war is spiraling out of control again. He’s a one-man weapon of mass destruction.
There’s a familiar pattern here. Trump went to war without consulting Congress, U.S. allies, or the American public. He had no clear plan or long-term strategy. He swallowed shaky promises of a quick victory from Israel’s equally unreliable prime minister. His deep ignorance of military and regional risks was untouched by the expert advice he reportedly ignored. Amazingly, Trump expected Iran to surrender before closing the strait and was “shocked” by its retaliatory attacks on U.S. bases in Gulf states. No one else was. Now he’s completely lost.
This same arrogance and irresponsibility marked last year’s grandiose 20-point Gaza “peace plan.” None of the key elements—reconstruction, an international stabilization force, demilitarization—have moved forward, and Trump has mostly lost interest. Hamas hasn’t disarmed, Israeli forces refuse to leave the territory, humanitarian aid is still blocked, and more than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed since October’s “ceasefire.” With no political solution in sight, Gaza is stuck in a no-peace, no-war limbo.
A similar critique applies to Trump’s unhelpful interventions in the Ukraine-Russia war. He never cared about root causes or Vladimir Putin’s dishonorable motives. He favored what he saw as the stronger side and tried to bully Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, into near-surrender. When that failed, he petulantly turned his back on Kyiv—though he’s still trying, for reasons only he can explain, to appease the stubborn Putin. Now this pattern of presidential stupidity, impatience, and irresponsibility repeats itself in Iran.
Unable to get out, Trump is flailing. At the heart of this week’s escalation is June’s “memorandum of understanding,” which was supposed to freeze the conflict for 60Days are passing without any real progress in negotiations. Trump celebrated the Memorandum of Understanding as a personal victory, but like many of his deals, it has a fatal flaw. The fifth paragraph seemed to accept Iran’s de facto control over the strait. Desperate for a way out, Trump agreed to it. Now that the consequences are becoming clear, he’s backing off. No wonder Tehran doesn’t trust him. Who does?
The damage from Trump’s Iran disaster seems endless at this point. It’s a spectacle the world has rarely seen. Like an alcoholic who takes a drink thinking this time will be different, Trump has resumed daily bombing, even though all previous attacks failed to achieve what he wanted. The more he bombs, the more stubborn the regime becomes, the conflict grows and spreads, and any chance of solving the nuclear issue—which the US and Israel say is the core problem—gets further away.
It’s obvious that Trump, who vowed to impose maritime tolls in the strait and then reversed himself within 24 hours, oversaw attacks on civilian infrastructure that could be war crimes, and faces the serious economic threat of a Red Sea blockade by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis, has no idea how to escape this deepening mess. European allies are uneasy, Washington’s enemies are laughing, global markets are panicking, and oil prices are rising again. The US’s reputation and influence in the world shrink with every missile fired. It’s tough being a superpower when no one respects you.
Who will stop Trump? Congress has told him to end the war or get official approval. He’s ignoring it. Polls show most Americans oppose this $100 billion, inflation-fueling disaster, but Trump won’t listen. Allies, still stinging from another harsh scolding at NATO’s Ankara summit, are afraid to confront him for fear of a permanent split. Pope Leo is doing his best. Prayer might be the only option left.
Sitting in the Kremlin amid the ruins of his own military fantasies, Putin is happy to watch the US pour scarce missile interceptors, money, and energy into another endless Middle East war, far from Ukraine. The more strain on the Western alliance, the better he likes it, especially if—as intelligence reports suggest—Russia is planning a large-scale hybrid warfare provocation in Poland or the Baltic states. And if anyone doubts China’s stance, just look at last week’s submarine-launched long-range missile test in the South Pacific. Like anxious Japan and Taiwan, President Xi Jinping is closely watching Trump’s chaos. China is already benefiting hugely, both economically and in terms of soft power. Sooner or later, Xi will cash in militarily.
The Trump problem is ultimately for the American people to solve. They elected him. They burdened the world with this dangerous monster. They may end up paying the highest price for his actions. Like Thomas Jefferson and the founding fathers in 1776, we, the people of the world, hold these truths to be self-evident: far from making America great again, Trump makes it smaller, meaner, unhappier, more divided, isolated, and unloved. What’s urgently needed now: a 2026 declaration of independence from Trump.
Simon Tisdall is a foreign affairs commentator for the Guardian.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here is a list of FAQs based on the statement by Simon Tisdall presented in a neutral and informative tone
BeginnerLevel Questions
Q What does Simon Tisdall mean when he calls Trump a oneman weapon of mass destruction
A He means Trumps actions and wordslike pulling out of international agreements attacking allies and spreading misinformationcould cause widespread global damage similar to a physical weapon but through political and social chaos instead of explosions
Q Is this just one persons opinion or do many people agree
A Its a strong opinion from a political commentator Many critics of Trump agree with the sentiment saying his style of leadership destabilizes global peace However his supporters strongly disagree and see him as a strong leader protecting American interests
Q Why would someone say Trump is a bigger threat than Iran
A The argument is that Trumps unpredictable behavior his attacks on NATO his withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and his use of inflammatory rhetoric can trigger global crises Iran while a concern is seen as a more contained traditional state actor with limited power to cause worldwide chaos
AdvancedLevel Questions
Q What specific policies or actions of Trumps are considered the most destructive to global security
A Critics point to 1 Withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement 2 Pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal 3 Threatening to leave NATO 4 Imposing tariffs on allies 5 Spreading election fraud claims
Q How does the oneman weapon idea compare to the actual threat of Irans nuclear program
A The comparison is about scope of impact Irans nuclear program is a regional military threat Tisdall argues Trumps impact is global and systemichis actions can destabilize the world economy break alliances and erode democratic norms instantly which a single country like Iran cannot do
Q Does this view ignore the threat from other major powers like China or Russia
