Former US Ambassador Warns US Is Not Safer After Trump’s War on Iran

The Trump administration’s war on Iran has failed its most basic test: making the United States safer. Nicholas Burns, a veteran diplomat who once led US negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program, told NPR that despite devastating military campaigns, Iran now holds significant power in the region, including effective control over the critical Strait of Hormuz.

Burns highlights the irony of the situation. While the US military destroyed much of Iran’s conventional forces, the regime’s ballistic missiles, Shahed drones, and proxy militias — Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis, and Shia militias in Iraq and Syria — remain intact and operational. This means Iran enters peace talks not from a position of weakness but with considerable leverage.

The Trump administration, Burns notes, has sidelined experienced career diplomats and experts on Iran and the Middle East, leaving negotiations in the hands of Vice President Vance, who lacks deep regional expertise. Burns advises that successful talks will require patience, a clear red line against Iran’s access to highly enriched uranium, and preventing Iran from controlling the Strait of Hormuz — a choke point vital to the global economy.

Burns also criticizes President Trump’s attacks on NATO, arguing that alienating crucial allies undermines US interests and weakens the coalition needed to stabilize the region. The future of peace depends on coordinated international efforts, not unilateral brinkmanship.

This conflict, launched by Trump to distract from domestic scandals and consolidate power, has only deepened instability. The US faces a long, tough road ahead to negotiate peace on terms that do not concede strategic defeat to Iran. Burns’ warnings underscore the urgent need for sober, expert diplomacy instead of reckless militarism and political posturing.