Does Iran Have a Plan?
It did however get punched in the mouth, and spat bloody Chiclets out all over the document it was forced to sign in June, pausing the war on terms favorable to Iran.On July 14, the United States returned to the field of battle. The administration has said almost nothing about why it is attacking Iran again, and how this round will improve on the previous. The Washington Post reported last weekend that U.S. intelligence doubts the new attacks will force Iran to change course.
- ▪It did however get punched in the mouth, and spat bloody Chiclets out all over the document it was forced to sign in June, pausing the war on terms favorable to Iran.On July 14, the United States returned to the field of battle.
- ▪The administration has said almost nothing about why it is attacking Iran again, and how this round will improve on the previous.
- ▪The Washington Post reported last weekend that U.S. intelligence doubts the new attacks will force Iran to change course.
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Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
IdeasDoes Iran Have a Plan?The U.S is subtly shifting its strategy for round two.By Graeme WoodMorteza Nikoubazl / NurPhoto GettyJuly 24, 2026, 3:22 PM ET ShareSave “No plan survives first contact with the enemy” is a military dictum usually credited to Field Marshal Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, and more recently to the boxer Mike Tyson in the form “Everyone has a plan until he gets punched in the mouth.” The United States, in its war with Iran, is an unusual counterexample, insofar as it appears that the Trump administration did not have a plan. It did however get punched in the mouth, and spat bloody Chiclets out all over the document it was forced to sign in June, pausing the war on terms favorable to Iran.On July 14, the United States returned to the field of battle.
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