We know that if and when Iran reopens the strait, Trump and every bad faith actor in his orbit will pretend to believe Trump is vindicated—and that really, only he could’ve triumphed so exquisitely. It’s thus very important to set the bar now: a humiliating, pointless, eternally discrediting defeat.

— Brian Beutler (@brianbeutler.bsky.social) 2026-05-05T20:27:17.198Z