The failure to militarily secure the Strait of Hormuz is a major strategic concession. It demonstrates a critical vulnerability and effectively hands Iran control over a global economic chokepoint, allowing them to wield immense leverage over international trade.

The US's failure to deter Russia in Ukraine or swiftly reopen the Strait of Hormuz signals a decline in its role as the global peacekeeper. This perceived weakness encourages adversaries to challenge US interests, leading to a more chaotic and unstable world order.

Despite the Strait of Hormuz closure being a long-theorized scenario, the US military response was 'insufficient' and lacked preparedness. Iran achieved a near-total shutdown with minimal force, relying on the *threat* of attack, revealing a significant gap in US strategic readiness.

An empire's definitive decline is marked by a "Suez Canal moment"—a failure to control a key strategic point. The chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan, not the current Iran conflict, may have already been that irreversible signal of diminished global power.

The U.S.'s inability to decisively defeat or deter Iran mirrors the 1956 Suez Crisis for the British Empire. This moment signifies the end of an empire's psychological dominance, where the world realizes the hegemon can no longer enforce its will without costly, drawn-out conflicts, marking a definitive decline in its global power.

The US has long used the threat of military force to keep the Strait of Hormuz open. By failing to act despite a large naval presence, it has revealed this deterrent is hollow. This hands Iran a proven economic weapon and erodes the credibility of US power projection globally.

'Losing' in Iran means a strategic retreat due to casualty aversion, not military defeat. This would show the limits of US power, shattering its global image and emboldening adversaries. It would be a '1956 Suez Crisis' moment for The United States.

Trump's wavering on Iran isn't fear, but a sign he's "in over his head." He can't predict Iran's reactions, so he's unable to act decisively. This posturing erodes US credibility and could mirror the British Empire's decline after the Suez Canal crisis, marking a loss of global power.

Military strikes against Iranian assets are insufficient for the US to claim victory. The conflict's true endgame hinges on controlling maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, as this economic chokepoint represents Iran's ultimate leverage and prevents a US declaration of success.