Trump's war on Iran a 'catastrophe' with zero gains, made Tehran 'very strong’: Ex-US jurist

By Alireza Kamandi

Trump’s military aggression against Iran has been nothing short of a catastrophe – yielding zero strategic gains while inflaming domestic inflation, alienating European allies, and elevating Iran to the ranks of "very, very strong countries," says an analyst.

Judge Andrew Napolitano, a former New Jersey Superior Court judge, a syndicated columnist and a political commentator, made these remarks in an interview with the Press TV website.

He said the US-Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran has yielded no tangible benefits for the United States and President Donald Trump has failed to achieve his declared objectives of seizing or degrading Iran’s nuclear materials and ballistic missile capabilities.

“Instead, Trump has suffered a significant loss of international credibility and domestic standing. Price inflation for fuel and food has surged across America, while European allies – including Germany, France, Spain, and the UK – have refused to participate in what they view as a conflict driven by Israeli interests rather than American national security,” he said.

The Strait of Hormuz, once a reliably operating, near-perfection global shipping lane, he said, has transformed into a “contested battle zone driving up global oil prices,” adding that the war from the American perspective has been a “disaster.”

“The refusal of key European allies – particularly Germany, France, Spain, and the UK—to join the so-called 'liberation operation' at the Strait of Hormuz underscores a fundamental recognition: this is not their war. These nations have identified the conflict as stemming from Israeli strategic choices and President Trump's subservience to Israeli demands,” Napolitano said.

The noted commentator hastened to add that Europeans gain nothing from that and Trump has been “politically degraded by this lack of allied support.”

He said despite “widespread recognition” that Trump’s unprovoked war against Iran “warrants impeachment on legal and constitutional grounds,” the current Republican-controlled Congress remains “unwilling to act.”

“Lawmakers, though privately believing impeachment is justified, are reportedly afraid of the president. However, the political landscape is expected to shift dramatically by January 2027, when Democrats are projected to control Congress. At that point, there will be sufficient political will and courage to pursue impeachment proceedings”, the former jurist told the Press TV website.

A significant outcome of the war, he remarked, is Iran's “emergence as a formidable military power” that has frustrated both the US and Israel, calling it an “unprecedented achievement in modern history.”

Iran, he noted, has entered the league of "very, very strong countries,” having succeeded through "courage, will, and ability" in halting the advances of two of the world's most powerful militaries.

Iran's newly announced maritime transit mechanism for the Strait of Hormuz represents a powerful strategic asset, Napolitano said, emphasizing that the US is now “powerless to prevent Iranian control over this critical waterway.”

“If Iran proceeds to impose tolls on shipping traffic, it will become fabulously wealthy very soon, further cementing its status among the world's most powerful nations,” he told the Press TV website, adding that this leverage could function as a “de facto snapback mechanism, enabling Tehran to retaliate against any future sanctions attempts.”

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk