U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 16, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
During his 2016 campaign, Donald Trump relentlessly attacked former President George W. Bush over the U.S. invasion of Iraq — an invasion he described as a foreign policy blunder that did nothing to benefit the United States from a national security standpoint. And the Trump campaign pointed out that Democratic presidential nominee and former Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-New York) was a "yes" vote on Iraq.
The Bush Administration, Trump complained, was in way over its head with Iraq. But now, as U.S. forces continue to carry out air strikes against Iran, it is Trump who is accused of getting in way over his head.
In a blistering editorial published on March 17, the New York Times' editorial board argues that Trump lacked a coherent strategy when it went to war with Iran.
"President Trump went to war against Iran without explaining his strategy to the American people or the world," the Times editorial writers lament. "It now appears that he may not have had much of a strategy at all. Almost three weeks into the war, Mr. Trump has no apparent plan for bringing about the demise of the Iranian regime — something he had said he seeks. If his goal is more modest, such as the seizure of Iran's nuclear materials, he has not offered credible ideas for accomplishing it. And he has failed to plan for a predictable side effect of a war in the Middle East: a disruption of oil supplies that causes a price spike and impairs the global economy."
The Times editorial board emphasizes that although Trump's "instincts about Iran were correct in a few ways" — for example, realizing that the Iranian government "is distinctly dangerous" and has a long history of "trying to destroy Israel" — his Operation Epic Fury is "untethered to a strategy" and reflects his "chaotic, ego-driven approach to the presidency."
"In launching this war two and a half weeks ago," the board explains, "Mr. Trump asserted larger aims than containing Iran…. He has called for the unconditional surrender of Iran's government and said that he must approve the country’s next leader. He has promised to make Iran great again. Mr. Trump has not even begun to explain how he will accomplish any of these goals."
