The Midterms Are Coming, and Trump Is Making It Hard for His Own Party

Five days after Donald Trump declared "mission accomplished" in Iran with an AI-generated image of himself, George W. Bush, and the Ayatollah, the missiles were flying again. The IRGC fired rockets over the Strait of Hormuz; the U.S. military launched air strikes to stop them; Iran retaliated with ballistic missiles at U.S. bases in Jordan, all intercepted. The president responded between rounds of golf by posting videos of himself replacing a "Lake Ontario" sign with "Lake America" while dancing to YMCA, alongside imaginary air strikes destroying an imaginary island he claimed was "blown to smithereens."

Back in reality, Axios reported that the administration is considering periodic air strikes against Iran to keep military capabilities in check and ensure commerce through the Strait of Hormuz—a strategy officials are calling "mowing the grass." It's the same phrase Israel used for its approach to Hamas in Gaza. The goal, per U.S. officials, is to get oil exports through the strait to 60-70% of pre-war levels. As one host put it: "going through it will be like Squid Game for oil tankers forever." Meanwhile, the original reason for the war—Iran's nuclear program—has been buried underground and largely forgotten.

Military Leaders Are Alarmed