26 February 2026

Donald Trump’s Iran Trap

Michael Doran

For years, Donald Trump defined himself against the architects of the Iraq War. He cast Middle Eastern interventions as moral vanity projects paid for in American blood and treasure. He promised no more regime change. No more endless wars.

Yet as nuclear talks with Iran falter, American warships mass off Iran’s shores and bombers move into range. The president who rose by denouncing George W. Bush now finds himself reviving the logic of Bush’s Middle East policy.

How did we get here? More importantly: What does this moment reveal about American power—about what truly changes, and what never does?

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