The Journal reported that Trump would instead tie the war’s end to Iran fully reopening the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway that was open before the war, and that Iran effectively shut down after the U.S. and Israeli attacks.
But now Iran is ratcheting up its demands in exchange for making the Strait of Hormuz fully available. They include compensation and an end to U.S. sanctions and military threats.
While the U.S. reportedly deals with a missile shortage, the pathway to peace Trump is apparently considering would be humbling in a conflict that has spiked prices at home, killed at least 18 U.S. service members (before an odd Pentagon adjustment) and injured hundreds. It has also cost U.S. taxpayers more than $37.5 billion.
An anticlimactic deal like that would also be at odds with Trump’s over-the-top threats to Iran during the monthslong war.
Trump’s waging of an unpopular war after campaigning in 2024 against such aggression on foreign nations may cost the Republicans dearly in the midterms. Even if the president does finally end the conflict, the terms may come across as wimping out ― optics that could boost the Democrats’ hopes of winning back both the House and Senate.
“Iran’s recent hardline demands for reopening the strait make it increasingly difficult for the president to manufacture a face-saving off-ramp from the conflict,” Mona Yacoubian of the Center for Strategic and International Studies told the Journal.