I think Russia is helping them and he didn't anticipate that.
He understands neither himself nor his enemy.
All totalitarian power structures require a boogeyman for the people to fear and hate to keep them from looking around and seeing what their real condition is and revolting against it.
Trump has given them one, one that will insure they remain the power in Iran and the people will go along with it willingly without rising up (as they were before Trump stepped in).
In addition he is a dupe for the Chinese regarding the Hormuz, China gets about 40% of its critically needed petroleum from the Hormuz, the US almost none. This makes the security of traffic through the Hormuz critical to them, not us, but Trump has put us in the position of securing it and is doing their work for them.
Trump has gotten us in a lose lose position in the ME, and China (as well as Russia) in a win win one.
He has not set in motion forces against us on many fronts, domestic as well as foreign, that are going to bring the United States down to the point that it is no longer a sovereign world power, and unlikely to be an internally free one for the people as well.
A lesson Trump has failed to learn in life is, in the words of Clint Eastwood, a man's got to know his limitations.
There are people who disagree with me I'm sure, but to them I simply say wait and see.
