How US became trapped in ‘dreadful situation’ of its own making over Iran war

The United States is staring a historic “strategic defeat” in the face five months after launching the Iran-war" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="38748" data-entity-type="event">Iran war at Israel’s behest, according to Middle East observers.The Islamic Republic is unlikely to fully relinquish its new-found hegemony over the Strait of Hormuz, despite US President Donald Trump’s rhetorical mix of daily ultimatums and optimism about a deal, they say. Doing so would be giving up its leverage over the global economy – by far its greatest weapon in a war it cannot win militarily.Having concluded that its June 17 memorandum of understanding with the US is all but dead, Iran is prepared to absorb all the military punishment the Trump administration can dish out.