All the Sad Hawks
The Iran war has led to a historic defeat for the US, with Donald Trump abandoning his demands for unconditional surrender and seeking a memorandum of understanding with Tehran. The neoconservatives, who had supported Trump's initial stance, are struggling to reconcile their hopes with the failure of his war efforts. Trump's willingness to negotiate with Iran has been attributed to his personal geopolitical vision, which prioritizes dealing with strong and rational leaders over ideological concerns.
- ▪The US has suffered a historic defeat in the Iran war, prompting Trump to seek a memorandum of understanding with Tehran.
- ▪The neoconservatives had supported Trump's initial stance on Iran, but are now struggling to come to terms with the failure of his war efforts.
- ▪Trump's willingness to negotiate with Iran is attributed to his personal geopolitical vision, which prioritizes dealing with strong and rational leaders over ideological concerns.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
IdeasAll the Sad HawksNeoconservatives struggle to reconcile their hopes for Trump with the failure of his Iran war.By Jonathan ChaitAndrew Harnik / GettyJune 17, 2026, 2:36 PM ET ShareSave An irony of the Iran war is that Donald Trump, whose patience for written texts and policy details is famously negligible, came to grasp the reality of the situation more quickly and clearly than his neoconservative supporters who spent years obsessing over the issue. Trump, recognizing that America has suffered a historic defeat, has abandoned his demands for unconditional surrender, and is trying to buy his way out with a memorandum of understanding that reportedly promises Tehran billions of dollars to restore the status quo ante.
…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The Atlantic.
Discussion
0 commentsMore from The Atlantic
