No Victory, No Exit: How America Got Stuck in a War It Can’t End

The United States entered the war with Iran confident that its overwhelming military superiority would deliver a rapid victory. Instead, Washington appears caught in a conflict it cannot easily win—or end. Iran has continued to launch drones and missiles, threaten shipping and widen the battlefield across the Gulf. By using relatively cheap weapons to stretch sophisticated Western air-defence systems, Tehran has imposed growing military, political and economic costs on the United States and its allies. Why did America go to war? What was President Trump’s original endgame? Why has Iran proved so difficult to defeat? And is there now any credible route out of the conflict? Sean Rayment discusses the war with Paul Cornish, Professor of Strategic Studies at the University of Exeter and founding Director of the Centre for the Public Understanding of Defence and Security.