Victor Davis Hanson: 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗜𝗚𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗦 (Iran) 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗣𝗢𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗔𝗠𝗘 𝗗𝗜𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡

X.Com ^ | March 20, 2026 | M.A. Rothman

[PJ-Comix]

𝗩𝗗𝗛: 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗜𝗚𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗦 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗣𝗢𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗔𝗠𝗘 𝗗𝗜𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡.

Victor Davis Hanson has spent fifty years studying how wars end. When he says the tide is turning, it's worth listening to why.

His argument isn't based on what the Pentagon is… pic.twitter.com/pC35L1Hdsu— M.A. Rothman (@MichaelARothman) March 20, 2026

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TOPICS: Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: fafo; iran; iranwar; notawar; signals; specialmilitaryop; twitter; vdh; victordavishanson; x

[PJ-Comix]

Victor Davis Hanson is perhaps the foremost analyst of such things.

[SaxxonWoods]

Saw this, great stuff. The below is good and dovetails with VDH:

Steve Doherty is with Joe Behm and
18 others
.
· Follow
March 19 at 9:44 AM
·
An excellent piece from Kahlid Umar. It puts the lie to the Left’s notion that Trump has miscalculated or that the war is taking too long. Under “normal” circumstances, this war would have been over a week ago. But with the Rag Headed Sociopaths leading up a virtual “death cult” concern for the welfare of their country or people is nil - allowing them to invite further decimation and destruction of their homeland.
CHECKMATE IRAN
Even when checkmate still lies 10–20 moves ahead, any master or serious student of the game can already see the end written in the pieces; The trap is closed. Every escape route has vanished; They concede.
It is long past time for Iran to concede a match it never had any chance of winning.
Yet as a death cult that mistakes suicidal defiance for courage, it will reject surrender and lurch forward into its final, total humiliation; cut to absolute smithereens until nothing remains but dust and the echo of its own stupidity.
Iran today is a terminal patient on life support, gasping its last ragged breaths while the United States literally stands on its oxygen line. Seizing Kharg Island would deliver the fatal strike that finishes what remains of the regime. At this point we can scarcely even call it a regime. Virtually all first-, second-, and even third-tier clerical and IRGC leadership has been exterminated. The few still breathing like the Foreign Minister, the President, and the rest survive only at the mercy and according to the plans of the US and Israel.
Kharg Island is Iran’s oil jugular. Roughly 90 percent of the country’s entire crude exports flow through its terminals; pipelines from the giant southern fields converge there, feeding supertankers that load directly offshore. These oil sales are the Islamic Republic’s main source of hard currency; the lifeblood that funds the IRGC, its patronage networks, and its proxy wars.
The economy was already strangled by sanctions when this began, its currency had cratered long ago, and the ongoing conflict has closed the Strait of Hormuz to most shipping due to insurance risks. Conveniently, this closure does not affect US oil. Capturing Kharg Island would be the ultimate prize, the strategic equivalent of seizing Aladdin’s genie lamp.
I have no doubt that China, sensing the inevitability of collapse and Trump’s iron resolve, is frantically working right now to ensure the regime falls before the United States destroys the oil export infrastructure. Mark my words, Beijing will strike a deal with Washington and throw the Ayatollahs under the bus without hesitation. IRSG sufficiently weakened, a people’s uprising would soon topple whatever is left, without any outside boots on ground.
The dark night of 47 years is about to see the light of liberty. It’s about time to congratulate the Iranian people. This Nowruz will be a new dawn on the civilisational history of Iran.
Long live Persia. Long Live 🇺🇸. Long live 🇮🇱

[ClearCase_guy]

At this point, the only people on the planet who are rooting for the Mullahs are the Democrats.

[chajin]

It is long past time for Iran to concede a match it never had any chance of winning.

They learned military strategy from Hitler and Tojo: never give up, never give in, let the enemy completely destroy you.

The Sun Tsu has set on them.

[Pete Dovgan]

At this point, the only people on the planet who are rooting for the Mullahs are the Democrats.

And the United Nations, like the UNRWA.

[texas booster]

Ping! Out to the Victor Davis Hanson list

Iran's strategy now is rope-a-dope. Run out the clock. Wait for American public opinion to shift. Hope the midterms create political pressure on Trump to stop. It is the only play they have left.

A twitter post of a Prof Hanson video. At least he did not leave anything out. I search but ran out of time, for the original story.

FR Index of his articles: Victor Davis Hanson on FR

Town Hall: Victor Davis Hanson on Town Hall

American Greatness: Victor Davis Hanson on American Greatness

His website: Victor Davis Hanson The Sword of Perseus

One of his sponsors' website: The Daily Signal

Please let me know if you want on or off this new VDH ping list.

As a reminder, Professor Hanson has asked that we do not post the full article of his writings. Thank you for following the link to finish his article.

Content created by the Center for American Greatness, Inc. is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a significant audience.

https://freerepublic.com/tag/victordavishanson/index

[texas booster]

𝗩𝗗𝗛: 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗜𝗚𝗡𝗔𝗟𝗦 𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗣𝗢𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗦𝗔𝗠𝗘 𝗗𝗜𝗥𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡. Victor Davis Hanson has spent fifty years studying how wars end. When he says the tide is turning, it's worth listening to why. His argument isn't based on what the Pentagon is saying. It's based on how everyone else is behaving. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀. VDH's rule: Europeans never agree to go anywhere near a conflict unless they think the winning side has already been determined. They didn't help in the early days. Now they're starting to move. That movement is not idealism. It's a calculation. They've looked at the battlefield and decided which way this ends. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝘂𝗹𝗳 𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗼-𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀. The Saudis, the Emiratis, the Qataris — these governments have survived for generations by reading the regional climate with precision. When they expel Iranian military attachés, when they intercept Iranian missiles over their own capitals and say nothing about American strikes, when the UAE reaffirms its $1.4 trillion investment commitment to the United States mid-war — they are not making ideological statements. They are placing bets. And they are betting on the United States. 𝗔𝗹 𝗝𝗮𝘇𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗮. This is the one that should stop you cold. Al Jazeera — the Qatari state media network, historically critical of American military action, the network Tucker Carlson and the anti-war right love to cite against Israel — is now calling the U.S. bombing campaign brilliant and effective, and saying it has been underestimated. When the media outlet of a nation that hosts both the largest American air base in the Middle East and a Hamas political office starts praising American military effectiveness, the message is unmistakable: 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘸𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘯. T𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹. A-10 Warthogs and Apache helicopter gunships are now flying strike missions in Iranian airspace at will. VDH's point: you only deploy those aircraft when there is effectively no air defense left to threaten them. They are slow, low-flying, close-support platforms. Their presence confirms what the Pentagon has been claiming — Iran has no meaningful air defense remaining. Iran's strategy now is rope-a-dope. Run out the clock. Wait for American public opinion to shift. Hope the midterms create political pressure on Trump to stop. It is the only play they have left. VDH's conclusion: if Trump sees it through — and he believes he will — the regime falls. Not in years. 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘁𝘆 𝘀𝗼𝗼𝗻. 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗼, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝘆. 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮.

[tired&retired]

How is his health? I heard he was having some major problems.

He is one of the few I put on a pedestal. His depth of knowledge and objectivity is unsurpassed.

[basalt]

theres only one thing and one thing only that is stopping this whole thing from ending, its that the Strait of Hormuz is not open. its been 3 weeks and still its closed....nothing Iran is doing militarily with their little drones and missles is doing anything. Energy prices are spiking big time and its gonna kill Trump politically. US acts like they are afraid of sending a ship thru there. I think the generals are afraid that Iran has hidden anti-ship missles all along that coastline etc. And Trump attacking Europe for not “helping” makes it look all the more like thats the case. I cant believe the United States Navy cant open that tiny little waterway. They better open it up and damn soon.

[FLT-bird]

I have some more data points. Yes, we know Mossad is good and that is especially so with CIA help but.....how is it that they are so consistently tracking down and killing everybody important in the regime and in DAYS not even weeks or months? C'mon. Nobody is that good. They're getting help. Lots of it. They're getting help from those in the police, the army, maybe even from inside the IRGC/Basij who are prepared to jump ship and they're getting help from ordinary Iranians. Larijani we now know was located and eliminated thanks to tips from regular Iranians.

When is the last time you saw people openly cheering and literally dancing in the streets because foreign powers were bombing their own country? I have never seen that before. The Iranian diaspora around the world is ecstatic. This regime is HATED by the Iranian people. There is no other conclusion.....probably not a surprise given the regime has massacred tens of thousands of protestors three times in the last 15 years. How does anybody think every friend and family member feels toward this regime after that?

I opposed this because I did not think it would be possible to bring down the regime and I was worried about what our losses would be - after all this was supposed to be a sophisticated integrated air defense system. They haven't shot down a single aircraft, and the regime has been decapitated, their navy and air force completely wiped out and thousands of ordinary Basij/IRGC turned into little grease spots. I had no idea this would be such a walk over. I suspect the regime really is going to fall one way or the other.

[TheThirdRuffian]

No we have the Lord HawHaw and Axis Sally brigade here rooting for the Iranians.

[Alas Babylon!]

Yup! You can tell when they start concern trolling about silkworm missiles in caves all along the Hormuz coast.

Missiles. Use them or lose them munitions.

[rlmorel]

"...Europeans never agree to go anywhere near a conflict unless they think the winning side has already been determined..."

Wow. Talk about the truth that cuts to the bone.

[TheThirdRuffian]

Countries populated by the descendants of elite or those too risk adverse to leave.

[bobbo666]

Death cult leaders cannot surrender. They will be hunted down by family members of those they murdered.

Brits twice had to deal with the Tsuggi death cult in India. They achieved heaven by strangling folks (like you join MS13 by murder). There was no negotiation. So, the Brits just killed every member.

The is only one end to a death cult, death.

[SaxxonWoods]

That is the “problem” but it does have a solution! As my WWII vet Dad said back in the 70’s about Islamists, “They want to die and we should oblige them.”

[RatRipper]

At this point, the only people on the planet who are rooting for the Mullahs are the Democrats.

You are spot on. The Democrats truly are evil and pathetic.

[Presbyterian Reporter]

“”””At this point, the only people on the planet who are rooting for the Mullahs are the Democrats.””””

And in the stands these Democrat fans are also rooting for the Mullahs

CNN
MSNOW
CBS
NBC
ABC
NYT
WAPO
TUCKER
ETC

[SoCal Pubbie]

from Imgflip Meme Generator

[TheThirdRuffian]

A fair number have escape hatches purchased in Russia.