Former congressman admits US defeat in war against Iran

Former US congressman and three-time presidential candidate Ron Paul has admitted that the United States has been defeated in the war against Iran, despite “the trillions extorted from Americans for the most expensive military on earth”.

“What do we get for the most expensive military on the earth? Larger than combined militaries of the next dozen or so countries. Not much Iran’s military budget is less than one percent of ours. Yet, Iran destroyed or disabled every US military base in the Middle East,” Paul told American media.

“It turns out that Iran has destroyed dozens of multi-million dollar US spy drones and several near billion dollar spy radar stations with their own drones costing America thousands of dollars each,” he added.

Paul noted that “the US surprise attack was supposed to make Iran cower and beg for mercy, but it did the opposite.”

“It showed that despite the trillions extorted from Americans for the most expensive military on earth, the US military can no longer win the wars that US presidents illegally force them into fighting.”

The US and Israel started a fresh round of aerial aggression on Iran on February 28, some eight months after they carried out unprovoked attacks on the country.

Iran began to swiftly retaliate against the strikes by launching barrages of missile and drone attacks on the Israeli-occupied territories as well as on US bases and interests in regional countries.

On April 8, a Pakistan-brokered temporary ceasefire between Iran and the US took effect. However, subsequent peace negotiations in Islamabad ultimately stalled amid Washington’s maximalist demands and insistence on unreasonable positions.

'Checkmate in Iran'

Earlier this week, an article published in the Atlantic magazine noted that the US defeat in Iran war can’t be repaired or ignored, compared to previous defeats experienced by the United States such as the wars in Afghanistan and Vietnam.

“Defeat in the present confrontation with Iran will be of an entirely different character. It can neither be repaired nor ignored,” Robert Kagan said in the article, adding that it also strengthens the role of China and Russia as Iran's allies, and significantly reduces the role of Washington.

"There will be no return to the status quo ante, no ultimate American triumph that will undo or overcome the harm done. The Strait of Hormuz will not be ‘open,’ as it once was. With control of the strait, Iran emerges as the key player in the region and one of the key players in the world," he said.

The article added that the war has revealed an America that is “unreliable and incapable of finishing what it started”.

“This will create a chain reaction across the world, as friends and enemies will remember America's defeat.”

The article stressed that "President Trump likes to talk about who has the 'cards,' but whether he has good cards to play is unclear.”

It noted that about five weeks of strikes, which led to the martyrdom of Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei and a large number of high-ranking Iranian officials, “failed to overthrow the [Iranian] government or force it into the slightest concession.”

Noting that the Trump administration hopes to achieve through a blockade of Iranian ports what was not achieved by the strike, the article said “a government that did not surrender in the face of five weeks of relentless attacks is unlikely to surrender to economic pressure alone.”

It also downplayed the impact of the resumption of the war, saying proponents of continuing the war failed to “explain why new attacks will achieve what 37 days of bombing did not."

Kagan stated that Trump “declared a ceasefire without the slightest concession from Iran” because of the Islamic Republic’s strong retaliatory attacks.

"Trump did not stop the attacks on Iran because he got tired of them; rather, the reason was the targeting of important energy facilities in the region by Iran”, particularly the attack on the Qatari Ras Laffan facilities which was conducted in response to the March 18 Israeli attack on Iran's South Pars gas field.

The article emphasized that "any solution except an effective American surrender carries great risks that Trump has so far been unwilling to face,"

“Withdrawing from the war at present may seem the least damaging option. From a political perspective, Trump likely believes he has a better chance of surviving a defeat than surviving a larger, longer, and more costly war that may still end in failure. Hence, an American defeat is not just possible, but probable."

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Noting that US defeat means that Iran retains control of the Strait of Hormuz, the article said “by controlling the strait, Iran gains power beyond its theoretical nuclear capability and can impose tolls on ships and even restrict the movement of countries with which it does not have good relations." 

"This leverage enables Tehran to dictate the lifting of sanctions and the normalization of relations to countries," it added.

“In this situation, Israel becomes more isolated than ever and comes under international pressure not to provoke Tehran.” 

Referring to the broader global consequences of America's defeat in the Persian Gulf, the article said America's allies in East Asia and Europe will have doubts about America's ability in future conflicts.”

“Global adaptation toward a post-American world has accelerated, and America's dominance over the Persian Gulf will be only one of the losses of the recent developments in West Asia."

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