8 takeaways from the US-Iran war

The war in Iran is effectively over. Although the dust has yet to settle, some lessons are already visible.First, US President Donald Trump has waged a personal war at the world’s expense. Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu warned that arms are ill-omened tools, employed only as a last resort. Trump, who has admitted he doesn’t like to read, may not realise this. Few people know why he ordered a strike on Iran. Maybe kidnapping president Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela was too easy or Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was too persuasive.Russia’s war on Ukraine may be described as “Putin’s war” but four years on, the Russian president’s domestic approval ratings remain high at around 60-75 per cent while Trump’s have plunged to below 40 per cent. After just four months, Trump has squandered billions of taxpayer dollars, depleted US military stockpiles and strained alliance ties – all for very little gain. His ceasefire memorandum of understanding with Iran is spinning a costly misstep as a diplomatic win.