Josh Hammer said the irrational nature of the Iranian regime remains a primary obstacle for President Trump [1].
The assessment highlights the difficulty of achieving a definitive resolution with a government that Hammer describes as resilient despite being weakened. This dynamic suggests that traditional diplomatic or economic pressures may not yield the immediate results the U.S. administration desires.
Speaking with Sky News Australia host Rita Panahi, Hammer, a Newsweek Senior Editor-at-Large, said the Iranian government persists [1]. He said that while the regime has faced setbacks, its fundamental nature has not changed.
"The problem is that this regime is they are who they are," Hammer said. "They are weakened, but they’re still there" [1].
Hammer said that the predictability of the regime's behavior is low, which complicates the planning of U.S. foreign policy. He said that the desire for a swift conclusion to the conflict may be at odds with the reality on the ground in Iran.
"I feel a little bad for Donald Trump because I think Donald Trump desperately wants this to be over," Hammer said [1].
The conversation focused on the tension between the administration's goals and the regime's continued existence. Hammer said that the path forward is not entirely clear, even for the current leadership.
"I’m not sure President Trump knows exactly where this is going to go from here," Hammer said [1].
“The problem is that this regime is they are who they are.”
This analysis suggests a gap between the U.S. administration's desire for a rapid resolution and the enduring structural nature of the Iranian government. If the regime is viewed as fundamentally irrational, it implies that standard deterrence models may fail, leaving the U.S. in a prolonged state of geopolitical friction without a clear exit strategy.
