Trump, JD Vance, Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth are astonishingly illiterate as strategists, tacticians, historians and politicians. An Iranian navy vessel was torpedoed off the coast of Sri Lanka where it had been participating in joint naval exercises with Trump’s navy and those of other regional powers. It is not for Nato allies to offer Trump an off-ramp from his madness. Saving Trump’s bacon would be the ultimate folly for Starmer – a man for whom Trump’s administration team has scarcely concealed contempt. After all, Trump’s generous offer to let China sort out the Strait of Hormuz still stands.

Source: The Irish Times March 18, 2026 06:04 UTC