Comment by ben_w

I would, like you, draw comparisons with Vietnam.

I think this means that the US is going to get stuck there for a very, very long time, as there are downsides to all options including pulling out, which may in turn survive a change of president.

On the other hand, all it takes is a president who doesn't care about the downsides, or thinks the downsides are worth the cost, and suddenly Iran's free to toll the strait, and a whole bunch of other straits get tolled in turn. If Iran gets away with it, I wouldn't be surprised if Israel finds Gibraltar closed to their shipping, though Suez would likely remain open to them for the foreseeable future.

I very much hope that Trump doesn't take the literally nuclear option here. A different Pandora's box to letting Iran take their toll, and a much worse one for everyone.