America’s Iran Problem Isn’t Going Away, with Mike Doran

2026-07-14

Download

Mike Doran, senior fellow and director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East at the Hudson Institute, returns to School of War to examine why the war with Iran continues despite devastating military setbacks for Tehran. Is President Trump’s Iran strategy truly different from President Obama’s, or are the similarities overstated? What does the fight over the Strait of Hormuz reveal about the limits of American power? And what does this war tell us about the future of U.S. strategy in the Middle East—and its broader compe...

Mike Doran, senior fellow and director of the Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East at the Hudson Institute, returns to School of War to examine why the war with Iran continues despite devastating military setbacks for Tehran. Is President Trump’s Iran strategy truly different from President Obama’s, or are the similarities overstated? What does the fight over the Strait of Hormuz reveal about the limits of American power? And what does this war tell us about the future of U.S. strategy in the Middle East—and its broader competition with China?

01:22 - Recap of the Iran War

06:03 - Iran's Leverage

09:05 - MoU Misunderstandings

12:28 - The Crux of the MoU Dispute

15:42 - The Nuclear Status Quo

17:58 - Iran's Degradation Since October 7

21:13 - The Democrats' View

22:02 - The Right's View

23:25 - Trump's "Obama-Style" Rhetoric

28:10 - Should America Reimpose the Blockade?

28:53 - The Drone and Ballistic Missile Problem

31:10 - Drone Warfare Has Changed Everything