The Guardian World· World
Trump pausing Iran attacks shows US military power is not enough on its own
Tehran has not been bombed into submission, leaving America unable to enforce its demands without a ground war that it does not wantHas Iran won a war it didn’t start against the United States? It is not a victory in any conventional military sense: about 3,500 Iranians have been reported killed and the US-led bombing has caused anywhere between $150bn and $270bn of damage.Yet Donald Trump’s decis
Published Tuesday, 28 July 2026 at 23:00

Tehran has not been bombed into submission, leaving America unable to enforce its demands without a ground war that it does not wantHas Iran won a war it didn’t start against the United States? It is not a victory in any conventional military sense: about 3,500 Iranians have been reported killed and the US-led bombing has caused anywhere between $150bn and $270bn of damage.Yet Donald Trump’s decision to pause, rather than intensify, the 13-night summer bombing campaign in effect represents a degree of recognition that the US cannot achieve its stated goals by military power alone. Continue reading...
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