The question is no longer whether President Donald Trump has lost control of the narrative of his new war in Iran. Trump meanwhile is fuming that he can’t simply order Europeans to send ships to open the Strait. That means raising the economic price for the rest of the world — and therefore the political heat on Trump. Washington has been betting for days on when Trump would declare victory and bring the troops home. After starting a new war, Trump doesn’t control how long it will last, where it will spread, how much it will cost and how badly it will complicate the lives of inflation-weary Americans.

Source: CNN March 20, 2026 16:10 UTC