The “asymmetric cost” model—a war the US starts will ultimately cost the other side far more—has proven vital to sustain the illusion of American invincibility and to limit domestic political resistance to US military adventurism. Now, Iran has broken it.
NEW DELHI—In a rambling address to the American people on April 1, US President Donald Trump claimed that the US war against Iran has been a success, vowing to “finish the job … very fast.” It was a statement in obvious conflict with the facts. Trump is still pretending that Iran is just another small US adversary that can only absorb punishment, lash out locally, and ultimately buckle under sustained military and economic coercion. In reality, Iran has upended the model on which US interventionism has long relied.