Steelman · slot A
The Gallipoli warning
A skeptical military strategist would argue —Trump has hit a wall with Iran, and the options ahead all run downhill. Putting Marines on Kharg or any island in the Strait of Hormuz means landing troops on barren terrain with no cover, against a defender saturated with drones and anti-ship missiles — sitting ducks, in the most literal sense. That is the Gallipoli analogy, and it is not rhetorical: Churchill convinced himself a bold amphibious stroke would shortcut a grinding war, and it produced one of the great military catastrophes of the century. Iran has also been explicit that a resumed bombing campaign means closure of the Red Sea and Suez — a global trade shock layered on top of American casualties. There is no clever escalation here. The only move that doesn't end in disaster is not making it.