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Mehdi's Memo

Donald Trump Lost the Iran War. Here's the Evidence

As JD Vance heads to Geneva to sign a deal with Iran, it’s undeniable that this American president failed to meet almost every single one of his own stated war goals.

Mehdi Hasan's avatar
Mehdi Hasan
Jun 17, 2026
∙ Paid
Trump speaks during a meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Evian, France, on June 17, 2026. Photo by Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

As Donald Trump prepares to sign off on a much-awaited and much-needed memorandum of understanding, or MOU, to end his war against Iran on Friday, a very simple truth needs to be recognized and acknowledged by each and every one of us: Donald Trump lost his war against Iran.

Yes, he lost. Badly.

He failed. Miserably.

He was defeated. Overwhelmingly.

Don’t take my word for it. Take Donald Trump’s. Look at what he himself said were the goals of this war from the very beginning. On Feb. 28, the same day he launched his illegal and unprovoked assault on the Islamic Republic, the president posted an eight-minute video address to his Truth Social account.

Three and a half months later, only two questions matter: What did he promise in that address? And have those promises been kept?

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