His original strategy was simple: Bomb Iran hard, destroy its military infrastructure, break the regime, and force Tehran to accept American terms.
That didn't happen, so Washington is moving to the next idea: A land blockade.
According to reports, the U.S and Israel are considering pressuring Iran's seven neighbours to restrict trade and tighten the economic noose around the country.
Iraq, Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Armenia, and Azerbaijan.
Geopolitical analyst Brandon Weichert thinks the proposal is pure fantasy.
These countries have different interests, deep economic ties to Iran and, in many cases, major relationships with China.
Even if some publicly agreed, enforcing a complete blockade against a country as large and geographically connected as Iran would be another matter entirely.
But Brandon says the plan reveals something much more important.
America is no longer pursuing a coherent strategy; it's cycling through different versions of the same failed idea.
At the same time, Iran appears to be changing its own strategy.
Instead of simply waiting to retaliate after every American strike, Tehran is increasingly demonstrating that any new blockade, sabotage campaign or act of coercion could trigger a much wider regional war.
Brandon believes Iran now sees a weakened and overstretched opponent.
U.S interceptors are being depleted, military assets are being pulled from other theatres, disagreements inside the White House are becoming harder to hide, and Trump is reportedly furious that the war has produced neither a clear victory nor an obvious exit.
That's what makes this moment so dangerous.
@WeTheBrandon
