Trump in the hot seat in Iran - 11 March 2026

https://www.unz.com/runz/is-america-winning-or-losing-the-war-with-iran/

The above linked Unz piece summarizes the "war is going poorly" narrative quite well.

Four years ago, I noted Russia's historic resilience in wartime as the main factor in predicting Russia ultimately succeeding in Ukraine. I have no reason to change that evaluation today. In Iran, Muslim fanaticism is akin to Russian resilience. A pounding that would rout a Western Culture today, would more likely stir up a hornets' nest in Iran. Notwithstanding US military might, Iran and Russia rightly see most of the West as flaccid and spent giving them (Russia and Iran) impetus to suffer now, play the long game, and succeed later.

Only Trump, now, with American military might (but not consensus US voter support) is there to stop Russia's and Iran's progress. I believe Trump should cut a mega economic deal with Putin... our cultures overlap...we have fought two world wars alongside Russia. Such a Russia/US deal also isolates China. But a la Powell Doctrine, the US should crush the Muslim fanatics in Iran.

The Powell Doctrine is not currently being applied in Iran by the US. I worry that Trump's current seeming ambiguous, short term, tactical approach to the Iran foray will leave the US short of the victory he promises and that the US needs. The West has been right to try to deny the Iranian fanatics a nuke. Should Trump declare a win without severing the head of the snake, Iran will be crippled for a while, but her extremist elements will resurrect, like a phoenix from the ashes, with a nuclear threat remaining very much alive.

Also, best guess is that there are a lot of more sophisticated Irani missiles buried away... including ICBMs. Sans a good supply of US interceptors, notwithstanding Trump declaring victory, the damaged Iranian regime could still retain disproportionate power to harm US and Israeli assets.

Iran's radical mullahs need to be understood in the context of the current state of Islam in the world. Be not mistaken. Islam is on the rise again. Current radical Islamic leaders revel in their past glory and in the Koran's promise of a Caliphate. Istanbul was once Constantinople. The Moors owned Spain for 700 years. The Ottomans controlled the Balkens for a thousand years. It was in 732 that Charles Martel turned back the Saracens at the gates of Tours. The West needs to learn from history. It is time for an ass kicking of Islam, Iran as proxy, to forestall a resurgence of cultural energy spread wide and far and not compatible with Western, Christian inspired, values.