{"id":3663,"date":"2026-07-21T09:35:39","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T09:35:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=3663"},"modified":"2026-07-21T09:35:39","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T09:35:39","slug":"behind-closed-doors-expert-predictions-on-what-trump-will-do-next-in-escalating-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=3663","title":{"rendered":"Behind closed doors: Expert predictions on what Trump will do next in escalating war"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Trump\u2019s war with Iran has resumed (it never really stopped). The U.S. is sending more warplanes to the Middle East. Two American service members were killed in an Iranian missile attack on Jordan, and a third is missing. The Strait of Hormuz is again closed. Meanwhile, Mojtaba Khamenei issued his first statement following his father\u2019s funeral, saying \u201crevenge is the will of our nation\u201d and that Iran would act against \u201ccriminals whose names are known.\u201d In response, Trump threatened to \u201ccompletely decimate and destroy\u201d Iran if assassination threats against him were acted upon. <\/p>\n

Read more Iowa is acting \u2018differently\u2019: Expert issues stark warning on GOP\u2019s future in red state<\/a><\/p>\n

How long can Iran continue the war? Its economy appears reasonably stable; it has exported oil sufficient to meet its needs. Its population has become used to sanctions and economic pain, and has no voice, in any event. As shown by its attack on Jordan, as well as those on Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Syria, and Qatar, Iran has ample missile stocks and has also become more adept at evading U.S. air defense systems.<\/p>\n

How long can the U.S. continue the war? America doesn\u2019t have sufficient munitions to maintain the current bombing campaign indefinitely. World oil reserves are almost depleted, which means that continued blockage of the strait will cause even more economic pain. Oil has again topped $90 a barrel. Plus, there are midterm elections to think about. <\/p>\n

So, what\u2019s Trump\u2019s likely next move? I\u2019ve made the rounds of the foreign policy advisers and experts I consulted with in early March, asking what they believe Trump will do now.<\/em> <\/p>\n

Their responses are arrayed below. I\u2019d appreciate hearing from you as well, about what you think Trump will do.<\/p>\n

1. Continue the air strikes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Several believe the most likely scenario is for Trump to continue to rely on air strikes against Iran\u2019s military, leadership, and infrastructure. The purpose of the strikes would be to further reduce Iran\u2019s capacity to attack shipping targets, or at least obtain concessions at the bargaining table. The strikes would be aimed at Iran\u2019s transportation infrastructure. <\/p>\n

But Trump has pursued much of this strategy for months now. Iran hasn\u2019t budged, and it has maintained its capacity to attack ships in the strait. This is also draining U.S. stockpiles of ammunition and leaving America unprepared for other conflicts around the world. It\u2019s estimated that merely replacing the most crucial weapons expended in the Iran war so far will take at least three years of defense production.<\/p>\n

Still, this strategy may be the least bad of several bad alternatives. <\/p>\n

2. Make life in Iran impossible<\/strong> <\/p>\n

A second scenario is for Trump to ramp up the bombing campaign to include attacks on Iran\u2019s water infrastructure, such as dams and desalination plants \u2014 making life in Iran precarious and desperate. <\/p>\n

But this could create a humanitarian catastrophe leading to mass deaths and a flood of refugees. It would also turn the world against the United States. In addition, Iran\u2019s leaders have made clear that if the U.S. strikes the water infrastructure needed to keep their people alive, Iran will retaliate in kind against the Gulf States. It has already hit a water desalination plant in Kuwait. The U.S. would have difficulty defending Gulf States against this sort of attack.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump\u2019s economy hasn\u2019t sunk the GOP because the Dems blew it: analysis<\/a><\/p>\n

Still, this strategy may be advocated by Trump\u2019s most belligerent advisers, such as Pete Hegseth, who could convince Trump that it will show Iran and the world how tough and strong Trump and the U.S. are. <\/p>\n

3. Launch a ground invasion<\/strong><\/p>\n

A third possibility is for the U.S. to invade Iran. This option can\u2019t be ruled out, because Trump has mentioned it several times. Although highly risky, it\u2019s the only option that could possibly achieve Trump\u2019s stated objective of finding and destroying Iran\u2019s stockpile of enriched uranium. Trump may also believe that, with the lives of American ground troops at stake, the U.S. public will rally around him, perhaps even giving Republicans an advantage in the midterm elections. <\/p>\n

But the U.S. lacks the manpower and logistical support to mount a successful land invasion of Iran. Even seizing tiny Kharg Island would be highly risky, given Iran\u2019s strategic advantage over the strait. Trump also knows that if he loses more American troops, public opinion could swing more sharply against him and his war. <\/p>\n

Still, an invasion can\u2019t be ruled out.<\/p>\n

4. Declare victory and go home<\/strong><\/p>\n

The final option is for Trump simply to give in to Iran\u2019s demands, declare that he has solved the problem and gotten the best deal imaginable, and walk away. The ill-fated \u201cmemorandum of understanding\u201d was a move in this direction. <\/p>\n

But Iran interpreted that agreement as giving it control over the strait \u2014 and still claims control. Allowing Iran to command the strait would leave the U.S. far more economically vulnerable than it was before February 28, when the strait was open and Trump launched his war. It\u2019s hard to see how Trump could accept this humiliating outcome. <\/p>\n

Still, Trump could decide that this is the least damaging option and hope to sell it as a win, figuring he can get a plurality of Americans to believe anything he says. <\/p>\n

Hence, today\u2019s Office Hours question: What will Trump do in Iran NOW?<\/p>\n

Robert Reich is a professor of public policy at Berkeley and former secretary of labor. His writings can be found at <\/em>https:\/\/robertreich.substack.com\/<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more The margins are razor-thin \u2014but one party will likely Congress: experts<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Trump\u2019s war with Iran has resumed (it never really stopped). The U.S. is sending more warplanes to the Middle East. Two American service members were killed in an Iranian missile attack on Jordan, and a third is missing. The Strait of Hormuz is again closed. Meanwhile, Mojtaba Khamenei issued his fi…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3662,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nBehind closed doors: Expert predictions on what Trump will do next in escalating war - Next Address America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=3663\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Behind closed doors: Expert predictions on what Trump will do next in escalating war - Next Address America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Trump\u2019s war with Iran has resumed (it never really stopped). The U.S. is sending more warplanes to the Middle East. Two American service members were killed in an Iranian missile attack on Jordan, and a third is missing. The Strait of Hormuz is again closed. Meanwhile, Mojtaba Khamenei issued his fi...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=3663\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next Address America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-21T09:35:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?p=3663#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?p=3663\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a4840e0eb2094ec31aed2107d53108b3\"},\"headline\":\"Behind closed doors: Expert predictions on what Trump will do next in escalating war\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-21T09:35:39+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?p=3663\"},\"wordCount\":970,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?p=3663#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/bbd709f3468928cd991e988ec7524d03.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?p=3663#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?p=3663\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?p=3663\",\"name\":\"Behind closed doors: Expert predictions on what Trump will do next in escalating war - Next Address America\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?p=3663#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?p=3663#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/bbd709f3468928cd991e988ec7524d03.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-21T09:35:39+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a4840e0eb2094ec31aed2107d53108b3\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?p=3663#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?p=3663\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?p=3663#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/bbd709f3468928cd991e988ec7524d03.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/bbd709f3468928cd991e988ec7524d03.webp\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":600},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?p=3663#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Behind closed doors: Expert predictions on what Trump will do next in escalating war\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Next Address America\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a4840e0eb2094ec31aed2107d53108b3\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Behind closed doors: Expert predictions on what Trump will do next in escalating war - Next Address America","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=3663","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Behind closed doors: Expert predictions on what Trump will do next in escalating war - Next Address America","og_description":"Trump\u2019s war with Iran has resumed (it never really stopped). The U.S. is sending more warplanes to the Middle East. Two American service members were killed in an Iranian missile attack on Jordan, and a third is missing. The Strait of Hormuz is again closed. Meanwhile, Mojtaba Khamenei issued his fi...","og_url":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=3663","og_site_name":"Next Address America","article_published_time":"2026-07-21T09:35:39+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=3663#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=3663"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a4840e0eb2094ec31aed2107d53108b3"},"headline":"Behind closed doors: Expert predictions on what Trump will do next in escalating war","datePublished":"2026-07-21T09:35:39+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=3663"},"wordCount":970,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=3663#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/bbd709f3468928cd991e988ec7524d03.webp","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=3663#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=3663","url":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=3663","name":"Behind closed doors: Expert predictions on what Trump will do next in escalating war - Next Address America","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=3663#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=3663#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/bbd709f3468928cd991e988ec7524d03.webp","datePublished":"2026-07-21T09:35:39+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a4840e0eb2094ec31aed2107d53108b3"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=3663#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=3663"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=3663#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/bbd709f3468928cd991e988ec7524d03.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/bbd709f3468928cd991e988ec7524d03.webp","width":1200,"height":600},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=3663#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Behind closed doors: Expert predictions on what Trump will do next in escalating war"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/","name":"Next Address America","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a4840e0eb2094ec31aed2107d53108b3","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com"],"url":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3663"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3663\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3662"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}