End the Iran War: A Pragmatic Exit Trump Should Take

Slate’s Fred Kaplan argues that Trump should end the Iran war, echoing Vietnam’s ‘declare victory and go home’ impulse but with sober realism: boasting about destroying Iran’s nuclear program and enemy capabilities is misleading, and prolonging the conflict weakens the U.S., bolsters hard-liners in Iran, and unsettles allies. A smarter exit would halt attacks, allow Hormuz to reopen through diplomacy with Iran and Oman, monitor Iran’s nuclear program, repair alliances, and reset policy—potentially moving the USS George Washington back to the Pacific and discarding poor counsel.