@joekent16jan19

The undisputed valor of our troops and the tactical brilliance of our military operations do not equal strategic success.

If they did, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, and Yemen would look very different today.

We can bomb and blockade Iran, or get dragged into something far worse, but none of it will force Iranian leaders to behave the way we want.

We can accept this reality now and clearly define what our actual interests are in the region, or we can be forced to accept it later—after losing more American lives and trillions of taxpayer dollars.

Yes, our military can sustain operations and crush any enemy in nearly any battle (while losing the war). But to what end? What’s in it for the American people?

It's foolish to think we can keep launching these senseless foreign interventions and maintain our status as the world’s most powerful nation.

This is the glaring blind spot that our foreign policy has failed to address for decades.

11:15 AM · Apr 29, 2026

http://twitter.com/joekent16jan19/status/2049553122633167211

@joekent16jan19

Continuing the blockade puts far more pressure on us than on Iran. Iran has proven it can endure economic pain—it has been doing so since 1979. The blockade will not force Iran to abandon uranium enrichment, ballistic missiles, or its proxy networks.

Instead, the blockade is hurting the American people and creating serious domestic pressure on POTUS:

Gas prices will continue to rise as we head into the midterms, harming the working class voters who overwhelmingly backed Trump and Republicans—putting GOP majorities in serious jeopardy.

Staging three carrier battle groups plus a massive build up of airpower in CENTCOM to enforce the blockade is unsustainable—it hands an emboldened IRGC ample opportunities to strike U.S. forces and drag America back into war on Iran’s terms.

The global fallout only increases the pressure on us, not Iran:

Beyond the oil and gas crisis, the blockade is now triggering a global fertilizer shortage that will cause major food security crises and potential famines in vulnerable regions.

The smarter path is clear: withdraw, declare victory, and use sanctions relief as our negotiating leverage with Iran. This resets the talks on our terms, avoids war, and prevents further escalation of the energy crisis at home and abroad.

https://twitter.com/joekent16jan19/status/2049476594066977031