Defense Priorities Defense Priorities
  • Policy Topics
    • US-Israel-Iran
    • Ukraine-Russia
    • Western Hemisphere
    • NATO
    • China
  • Analysis
    • Policy Papers
    • Symposia
    • Q&A
    • Polls
    • Grand Strategy Explained
    • Target Taiwan
  • Programs
    • Grand Strategy Program
    • Military Analysis Program
    • Asia Program
    • Middle East Program
  • Experts
  • Events
  • Media
  • About
    • Mission & Vision
    • People
    • Jobs
    • Contact
  • Donate
Select Page
Home / US-Israel-Iran / Trump can’t escape the Iran war
US‑Israel‑Iran, Iran, Middle East

July 14, 2026

Trump can’t escape the Iran war

By Daniel DePetris

Last Friday, a senior U.S. official gave a background briefing to the media and made some news. First, Iranian officials contacted the United States through mediators and essentially apologised for their recent attacks against shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. And second, the Trump administration expected Tehran to issue a formal statement reiterating that the chokepoint was open to all traffic. ‘We want them to publicly say that they will stop shooting at ships and explicitly, or at least implicitly, acknowledge that they screwed up,’ the official said. ‘We expect the Iranians to say… that every channel in the strait will be open and that it will be toll-free.’

Instead, what Washington and the Gulf Arab states got was more Iranian strikes on ships that, from Tehran’s vantage point, were conspiring with the U.S. Navy to leave the strait under routes not approved by Iran’s newly enacted Persian Gulf Strait Authority.

Read at Spectator

Author

Photo of Daniel DePetris

Daniel
DePetris

Fellow

Defense Priorities

More on Middle East

Op-edUS‑Israel‑Iran, Iran, Middle East

Let Iran Control the Strait of Hormuz

By Rosemary Kelanic

August 24, 2026

Op-edIsrael, Middle East

Pitch for defense treaty and moving U.S. military to Israel is insane

By Jennifer Kavanagh

August 24, 2026

Op-edUS‑Israel‑Iran, Iran, Middle East

Trump’s Iran Economic D-Day is delusional

By Daniel DePetris

August 21, 2026

Op-edMiddle East

Saudi Arabia’s New Maritime Coalition Is a Warning for the U.S.

By Alexander Langlois

August 21, 2026

Op-edMiddle East

It’s Time to Pull U.S. Troops from the Middle East

By Alexander Langlois

August 19, 2026

In the mediaUS‑Israel‑Iran, Basing and force posture, Iran, Middle East, Military analysis

Pentagon weighing smaller U.S. military presence in Gulf once Iran war ends

Featuring Jennifer Kavanagh and Dan Caldwell

August 18, 2026

Receive expert foreign policy analysis

Join the hub of realism and restraint

Expert updates and analysis to enhance your understanding of vital U.S. national security issues

Defense Priority Mono Logo

Our mission is to inform citizens, thought leaders, and policymakers of the importance of a strong, dynamic military—used more judiciously to protect America’s narrowly defined national interests—and promote a realistic grand strategy prioritizing restraint, diplomacy, and free trade to ensure U.S. security.

  • Experts
  • Papers
  • Symposia
  • Q&A
  • Polls
  • Events
  • Media
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • About
  • Jobs
  • Contact
  • Donate
© 2026 Defense Priorities Foundation. All rights reserved.