The i Paper’s Rohit Kachroo argues that President Donald Trump’s decision to reassign Vice President JD Vance comes closer than anything else during either of his terms to admitting he was wrong. The decision came on the heels of Vance blaming the Republicans’ midterm losses on the fallout from the Iran war, much of what was revealed in voting polls. But Kachroo also says Vance’s demotion was performance-related, as he’s been unable to live up to expectations within the role.
Trump’s move involving Vance suggests he is finally acknowledging that the war with Iran has become a costly choice, with neither the U.S., Israel nor Iran achieving its ultimate goals.
But as some progress is being made with Trump trying to course correct, recent statements are contradictory to the same progress. Kachroo says even Trump’s latest declaration of him saying, “We’ve got their Strait,” is wrong. America saw another surge in oil pricing courtesy of the president suggesting a deal with Iran was no longer necessary.
What’s even worse is that Kachroo says it’s not just Trump who needs to come to the new reality that the U.S.’s involvement in this war has the possibility of becoming a semi-permanent state of affairs that will take time to undo. Iran’s chief negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, suggested this when he said that the Strait would “never return” to its status before the war. It has been nearly a year, and it is seemingly far from over, and all sides are suffering.
On the U.S. side, Kachroo notes that it cost Republicans their control, losing by historic margins during the 2026 midterm elections. Israel’s recent elections gave the opposition bloc a potential path to ousting Benjamin Netanyahu and ending what critics call his “October 7 government.” Israel has also endured much punishment and further economic strife as a result. Kachroo writes, “Iran’s determination to retaliate has exposed both its reach and its weakness.”
Kachroo argues that in both the U.S. and Israel, military failures and economic struggles can have far-reaching political consequences, threatening the stability of democratic governments. The result, he says, is that the war may have actually made the political groups or leaders the United States wanted to weaken or eliminate more powerful. Trump is now having to come to terms with that harsh reality and work toward resolution. With Congress looking a lot different starting in the new year, he may have little choice.
