What Victory Looks Like in Iran

The Wall Street Journal ^ | April 9, 2026 | Jonathan Panikoff

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Trump can’t negotiate away free movement in the Strait of Hormuz or highly enriched uranium.

He could use the next two weeks to negotiate an end to the war with terms that address Iran’s ballistic-missile and nuclear programs, including its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, as well as its support to terrorist proxies and freedom of navigation. But the U.S. and Iran likely aren’t aligned on acceptable minimum requirements, especially as Tehran thinks it is winning. Issues like the nuclear program could be kicked down the road.

The third option is that Mr. Trump could threaten to strike Iran again if it rebuilds its nuclear program or impedes global trade but declare unilateral victory and an end to the U.S. combat mission without resolving the core outstanding issues.

On the surface, there’s a logic to this third option. Thanks to U.S. and Israeli operational success, Iran’s ability to project threats in the region is diminished, even as its remaining drone inventory and ballistic missiles remain a threat. With Iran’s newfound deterrence lever—control over passage through the Strait of Hormuz—Mr. Trump also will be under pressure from European and East Asian allies, who will be loath for the war to restart and face further energy and commodity shortages.

If the president takes this path, he will have diminished the immediate threat to Israel and the Gulf states, but he also will have ceded de facto control of the strait to Iran, put Tehran in a more advantageous position, and demonstrated to other rogue nations the value of controlling global shipping choke points.

Tehran’s ability to generate revenue that flows directly into the pockets of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and toward construction of its ballistic-missile and terrorist capabilities will be solidified. Worse still, the pace of revenue generation could accelerate.

These...

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TOPICS: Military/Veterans
KEYWORDS: aipacfury; epsteinfury; iran

[BenLurkin]

re-opening our Embassy

[SACK UP]

I’m tired of this bullsquirt. There are times when we call upon men willing to do what most of us are incapable of doing. Trump is one of those men. Nuke the dastardly and turn Tehran into a glass salad bowl.

[Kleon]

Trump is one of those men.

He was, not too long ago. I honestly don't recognize the man answering questions about Iran. He seems lost and not like himself.

[If You Want It Fixed - Fix It]

satan thought he was winning against the nazarean.

yellow uriniary journalism.

[scouter]

I honestly believe Trump is using these two weeks to get the pieces lined up for something no commentator has thought of yet. I could be wrong, but we’ll find out soon enough.

[unread]

Yeah, I’m beginning to feel the same way about it... If they want nukes that bad, let’s give them 8 or 10 of ours...

[norcal joe]

I believe the only solution to this big mess is for some big crazy act done by a somewhat crazy leader. And Trump is just the person for that. I’m serious.

[Vehmgericht]

This will rank along side of our great victories in Vietnam and Afghanistan.

[norcal joe]

And I’m getting tired of stupid comparisons to Viet Nam, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

[AAABEST]

Oh good; comfy-chair psycho wanna annihilate and entire nation - men, women children - because they didn’t cede to Trump’s and Israel’s demands

Sick demented fk. Change your screen name to SACK-O-S**T.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Nuke the dastardly and turn Tehran into a glass salad bowl.

Nuking Tehran into "a glass salad bowl" would slaughter millions of civilians.

Civilians are fair game?

[Nateman]

There is another option. This whole thing started with the people in Iran protesting then being slaughtered for their efforts. Get some training and weapons to the people who have learned to hate Islam and that regime and you could get the regime change we all want without having to use US troops inside Iran.

Pretty much what Trump said in the beginning. They have the chance to take their country back and may not get another for decades or more.

[Nateman]

...This will rank along side of our great victories in Vietnam and Afghanistan..

12 Americans dead. Over ten times that of the LEADERSHIP dead, much less the grunts defending the regime. And you call that a loss?

[Vendome]

Yeah, because we solved Iran and the ME. We also solved Venezuela/Maduro as well, oil, rare earth minerals and copper which China was getting control of

Panama Canal

And now China is being given a head start on their eventual decline, which begins in four years as their working age population begins to age out

So let it be written, so let it be done

[Dave Wright]

The Iranian military is separate from the IRGC. They are largely secular and loyal to the people of Iran, not the IRGC occupiers. Raza Pahlavi has sent messages to them to pledge their loyalty to him and turn against the IRGC and the Iraqi foreign militia that is being used to oppress the millions of free Iranians who hate theocracy.

In addition, an underground resistance, the Immortal Guard, loyal to Pahlavi, is armed and preparing to launch a ground offensive once the air war ends.

Everything to date has been a prelude to the real ground fighting that will begin in the outlying regions first, where they will gather arms and defectors from the army to begin the assault on Tehran.

[mythenjoseph]

You drinking again?

[edweena]

At this point the Iranian protestors may feel they’re better off siding with their familiar enemies, the Iranian regime, than a government that threatened to destroy their civilization. They would have to trust the U.S. government in order to take the chance of treasonously accepting aid from it intended to overthrow their own government.

[allendale]

The bottom line is that if this evil, horrid mullah regime however weakened survives and if the enriched uranium is not recovered ,this war will not only be unsuccessful but grave harm will come to America. the lunatic, demonic, America hating Democrats will come to power in 2026 and 2028. The American nation and the american people will suffer horribly.

[Nateman]

...threatened to destroy their civilization...

You've brought the Leftist Propaganda hook line and sinker. Trump is first and foremost a deal maker. His strategy is simple : make outrageous demands and issue outrageous statements. It is part of his negotiation tactics. He ends up getting the best deals this way.

The Left is like a cat chasing a red dot. They keep on focusing on the red dot not realizing they are being played for fools. Trump gets results. The Iranian people already hate their regime. This all started with their protest movement. Slaughtering thousands of them did not make them like it any more. All that is holding them back now is fear and Trump has crushed most the monsters responsible. Get them some weapons and training and they will carry out the regime change we actually want and need.