FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 20, 2026
Contact: press@defensepriorities.org
WASHINGTON, DC—Over the weekend, the U.S. military announced the deaths of multiple American troops killed by Iranian action. Defense Priorities Director of Military Analysis Jennifer Kavanagh issued the following statement in response:
“After a short-lived ceasefire, the United States has returned to war against Iran. For the past nine days, the U.S. military has intensified and widened its strikes on Iranian infrastructure targets and reimposed its blockade on Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s retaliation has already proven costly and dangerous. At least three, probably four, U.S. servicemembers lost their lives in recent days and U.S. bases across the Gulf region have been damaged.
“The Trump administration’s ostensible goal, restoring the pre-war status quo in Hormuz, is not achievable using military force. More bombing cannot take away Iran’s geographic advantages or eliminate its ability to strike ships passing through the maritime chokepoint. It also will not convince Iran’s new leadership to back down from what they see an existential war.
“President Trump has two viable options. He can make a deal that recognizes that the balance of power in the region has shifted in Iran’s favor, or he can walk away and let the region and the international community manage the war’s fallout. From the perspective of U.S. interests, either outcome is acceptable and preferred to risking more U.S. lives and further expenditures of scarce U.S. military resources in the Gulf.
“The war has already been a strategic defeat for the United States, and escalating will only make the outcome worse.”
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