President Trump’s stance on Iran differs from his view on the “forever wars” because he views the Iran issue as a global nuclear proliferation threat rather than an endless nation-building occupation.
His approach to Iran differs from what he criticizes about the “forever wars” (such as the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq). There is a definitive goal vs. open-ended commitments. The Iran policy centers on a single, clear-cut restriction: preventing the regime from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
No nation-building: Trump has repeatedly criticized the “forever wars” for spending trillions of dollars attempting to rebuild foreign societies and police regions indefinitely. His approach relies heavily on “maximum pressure” economic sanctions and targeted military strikes rather than deploying large-scale ground troops to occupy territory.
The primary objective with Tehran is to force them into a stronger diplomatic deal through isolation, not to overthrow the government.
The goal of preventing a nuclear Iran directly connects to the Strait of Hormuz because the U.S. views the strait as Iran’s primary economic and military chokepoint for strategic leverage.
Stopping Iran from advancing a nuclear weapons program is a perfect example of "policing the Middle East," and you can't police the Middle East without pissing away thousands of lives and trillions of dollars.
So I'd ask Trump to go back and think about that one again. And my original point still stands: The guy should have listened to himself before starting this fiasco.