Why haven’t U.S. military gains brought the Iran war to an end — and what should Washington have learned from Iraq?
Retired U.S. Army Col. Peter Mansoor joins Independence Avenue Media’s Kartlos Sharashenidze to examine the gap between weakening an adversary’s military and achieving a political outcome.
Mansoor argues that renewed bombing and continued economic pressure are unlikely to persuade Tehran to end the conflict. He discusses the Strait of Hormuz, the prospects for regime change, Russian and Chinese support for Iran, and the consequences of Washington’s focus on Iran for Ukraine.
Drawing on his service in Iraq, he also examines Baghdad’s relationship with Washington, Iran-backed militias, and the limits of American power. On Ukraine’s battlefield, he describes the evolution toward drone-on-drone combat — and explains why he sees culture and vision as central challenges for the U.S. military.
Peter Mansoor is a retired U.S. Army colonel and professor of military history at Ohio State University. He served as a brigade commander in Iraq and as executive officer to Gen. David Petraeus during the 2007–08 surge.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
00:57 Iraq after the U.S. withdrawal
01:49 Iran-backed militias and Washington’s relationship with Baghdad
03:13 Mansoor’s experience in Iraq and the aftermath of the surge
05:51 Could disarming the militias trigger conflict?
06:41 What the Iran war should learn from Iraq
07:26 How long could the Iran conflict last?
07:44 U.S. military gains, Hormuz and Washington’s options
10:36 Regime change and China’s potential influence
11:43 Russian and Chinese support for Tehran
12:51 How the Iran war affects Ukraine
13:54 Ukraine’s drones and the changing battlefield
15:53 Culture, vision and U.S. military adaptation
17:13 Teaching Iraq and the limits of great powers
