Richard Haass said President Donald Trump was "dead wrong" regarding the U.S. conflict with Iran as military operations continued this month.
The critique comes as the U.S. carries out airstrikes over the Strait of Hormuz. The situation represents a critical escalation in Middle East tensions, with critics arguing that the current administration is risking a wider regional war through a lack of strategic planning.
Haass, the president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, said during a CNN interview on July 8, 2026, that U.S. airstrikes on Iran have continued for 11 straight nights [1].
According to Haass, the Trump administration's approach to the conflict is undisciplined and lacks necessary preparation [2]. He said that this lack of a coherent strategy is turning what began as a limited operation into an open-ended war [2].
Addressing the effectiveness of the campaign, Haass discussed the administration's claims regarding the Iranian military. He said that Trump's claim that the U.S. "decimated" the Iranian military is only roughly accurate to the extent that about 10 percent of the force was destroyed [3].
Haass said the administration is paying a price for its lack of discipline [2]. The ongoing strikes over the Strait of Hormuz remain a focal point of the confrontation as the U.S. continues its aerial campaign against Iranian targets [1].
“Trump was 'dead wrong' about the U.S. conflict with Iran”
The critique from Richard Haass highlights a growing divide between the Trump administration's public narrative of military dominance and the strategic reality on the ground. By quantifying the 'decimation' of the Iranian military at only 10 percent, Haass suggests that the administration is overstating its success while simultaneously sliding into a protracted conflict without a defined exit strategy.
