Why Trump couldn’t bring Iran to heel

Iran, a second-rate power in a state of economic collapse, just fought the U.S. to a standstill in a major military conflict. The disappointing outcome has echoes of Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan, in that a major world power hasn’t been able to impose its will on a militarily inferior foe.

The problem comes when we run into an enemy that has a high threshold for pain and is determined to outlast us…