Trump Secretly Admits Humiliating Defeat on Major War Aim
The president is happy for the world to suffer an oil crisis rather than trying to fix the problem he caused.
Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo/Reuters
Donald Trump is prepared to walk away from the war in Iran even if the Strait of Hormuz does not reopen, according to a report.
The 79-year-old president has been telling aides he is willing to end military operations in the Middle East without resolving the crisis surrounding the vital shipping route through which one-fifth of the world’s oil passes, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Any decision to leave the Strait closed and not bother to resolve the resulting global oil crisis would mark a humiliating walkback for Trump, who has been making increasingly unhinged threats to escalate the conflict unless Tehran caves and reopens the narrow passage from the Persian Gulf.
Walking away from trying to reopen the Strait will also further suggest the erratic president has no clear plan to end the conflict he launched more than a month ago.
There are huge doubts that Donald Trump can realistically claim victory in the Iran war until the Strait of Hormuz reopens.
Elke Scholiers/Getty Images
Trump and his inner circle have reportedly come to the realization that any military operation to reopen the strait would amount to a major escalation of the conflict, potentially requiring U.S. boots on the ground. Instead, Trump would be satisfied if the war achieves some of his other objectives, such as targeting Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
Suzanne Maloney, an Iran expert and vice president at the Brookings Institution in Washington, said Trump pulling out of Iran without reopening the strait would be “unbelievably irresponsible.”
“Energy markets are inherently global, and there is no possibility of insulating the U.S. from the economic damage that is already occurring and will become exponentially worse if the closure of the strait continues,” Maloney told the Journal.
Sign Up for The Swamp Newsletter
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Iran’s closure of the narrow shipping route has already sparked a worldwide energy crisis, with crude oil prices regularly topping $100 a barrel and gas prices soaring in the United States. There are fears the war could push oil prices as high as $200 a barrel, which would be devastating for the global economy.
Trump has repeatedly suggested the war in Iran will be over soon while simultaneously threatening to drastically escalate the conflict by attacking the country’s energy infrastructure unless the Strait is reopened.
Just hours before the Journal’s report was published, Trump wrote in a typically unhinged Truth Social post Monday that unless the strait is “immediately ‘Open for Business,’ we will conclude our lovely ‘stay’ in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalination plants!).”
The Trump administration has accepted that trying to reopen the waterway would mean extending the deeply unpopular conflict.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
The report that Trump might walk away from the war without resolving the Strait of Hormuz crisis also came after White House officials told MS Now that the president is getting “bored” with the conflict he started and wants to “move on.”
On Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Al Jazeera that U.S. military operations in Iran would be completed within a few weeks and that “we’ll make sure that it’s open, one way or the other.”
Conservative podcaster Megyn Kelly, one of MAGA’s most outspoken critics of the Iran war, mocked the contradictory statements coming from the Trump administration about the conflict.
“Sun, Rubio: ‘the Strait of Hormuz will reopen one way or another’ (Al Jaz’ra). Mon, Trump: ‘if the Hormuz Strait is not immediately ‘Open for Business,’ we will …blow up…all of [Iran’s] Electric Plants, Oil Wells & Kharg Island” (Tr. Soc),” Kelly posted on X.
“Mon: ‘Trump tells aides he’s willing to end war without opening Hormuz” (wsj).’”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for comment.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
- Account (completed)
- Payment (completed)
- Confirmation (completed)
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
- 1Account
- 2Payment
- 3Confirmation
Sign in or create an account
Login dialog
Loading comments…