The Stayatollahs 

100 days of Iran war are littered with US missteps. Trump should start firing some advisers 

It’s a conflict that nobody – except Israel – wanted. And yet, the US-Israel war against Iran has now lasted 100 days, with no clear end in sight. To put it bluntly, this speaks to terribly poor strategy. Hundred days of immense losses and disruptions, thousands killed, hundreds of thousands displaced, and unprecedented global economic pain, thanks to the shuttering of Strait of Hormuz. But the war, like a typical fight between bar bullies, first threw logic to the wind, and is now trapped in a battle of machismo, with neither side willing to back down. 

US plans were doomed from the moment the Iranian regime withstood the initial assault, and refused to crumble. Washington completely misread the nature and strategic depth of the mullah-led govt. Iran is not Libya. It’s a country that has survived more than four decades of sanctions. The regime, though brutal, is also strategically supple. But by attacking Iran, US ensured that the regime had no choice but to go on the offensive. That in turn rallied the regime’s supporters, and ensured its survival – the opposite of Washington’s initial goal. 

Meanwhile, Israel is operating on a completely different strategic plane. It is carrying out operations in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah – a ceasefire extension announced last week barely lasted hours. It’s again ramping up operations in Gaza, despite last Oct’s ceasefire there. And it has shown the willingness to carry out limited operations even in Syria. The Israel-Palestine Two State Solution is in tatters, Tel Aviv is potentially preparing for future conflicts (with Türkiye?), and Netanyahu, facing elections later this year, is giving wings to Israeli far-right’s dreams of ‘Greater Israel’. 

So, what we have is a perfect Mexican standoff: Iran weaponises Hormuz, and locks up a fifth of global supplies in oil and gas. US does a counter-blockade of Iranian ports. Tehran periodically targets Gulf states like Kuwait and Bahrain, to demonstrate it still retains offensive capabilities. Gulf Arabs, upset with the whole thing, want to restrain Iran’s wartime exuberance. Israel wants US to finish the job in West Asia, and therefore, plays fast and loose with ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon – a red line for Tehran. Actually, US would have been far more successful had it threatened a blockade of Iran first, and offered negotiations, instead of going in all guns blazing. Tehran would have had reasons to respond positively, even leading to an Armenia-Azerbaijan-type success for Washington. Trump, therefore, should seriously channel his old TV persona, and start firing some of his advisers. That would be a service to the world.

https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2026/6/7/100-days-of-the-us-israel-war-on