Talks between the US and Iran have stalled, leaving Trump stuck in a war that is bad for him, bad for the US economy, and bad for Iran — with no clear way out.

• Iran-US talks collapsed after the US insisted Iran give up uranium enrichment, a demand Iran will not accept and that effectively kills any deal.
• Former Trump official Joe Kent says Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz, can outlast US forces, and Israel keeps sabotaging any path to peace.
• Killing Iran's moderate leaders early on handed power to hardliners who now want to keep fighting, while Israeli hardliners push Trump to escalate before US midterms.
• Trump is acting out of character — threatening to "blow up" Oman, lashing out at former allies like Tucker Carlson and Marjorie Taylor Greene — suggesting real frustration or hidden pressure.
• Kent says Trump should declare victory and leave now, before a single US casualty traps the country in an escalation cycle it cannot exit.

Outlook: Without a US pullback, the standoff stays one missile strike away from a wider war, with the Strait of Hormuz still closed and the economy taking the hit.