It has been half a year since the outbreak of the US-Iran war, with some people regarding it as a less thorough Gulf War or an Iraq War without ground battles.
Another view holds that the Iran war is fundamentally different from the Iraq war and may become "Trump's Vietnam", ultimately resulting in the US losing part of its sphere of influence.
Since the outbreak of the war, 18 U.S. service members have been killed, more than 750 have been wounded, and over 40 military aircraft of various types, including drones, have been lost. A significant number of military bases and early-warning radars across the Middle East have also been damaged, while a considerable portion of Patriot and THAAD interceptor missile inventories has been expended.
In terms of scale, the current conflict is far from comparable to the Vietnam War, which lasted for many years and resulted in the deaths of 58,220 US soldiers, whereas the situation in Iran is more like a "day trip" by comparison.
On July 13, when asked at a press conference whether exchanges of fire with Iran had become the new normal for Americans, Trump replied, "We were in Vietnam for 19 years - we've been here for four months (now it can be changed to six months)."
Although the direct costs of the two wars cannot be compared, there are similarities in their indirect impacts.
In terms of external impact, the fall of Saigon in April 1975 did not trigger the widely predicted global chain reaction, but it greatly weakened the US's influence in Southeast Asia, with the socialist camp's territory covering South Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.
The 2026 US-Iran war also weakened US influence in the Middle East, with the loss of the Strait of Hormuz likely, and bases within the Persian Gulf unlikely to be restored to their pre-war state, as countries such as Oman, Iraq, and Qatar become more neutral in their stance.
After the end of the Vietnam War, the Le Duan regime became increasingly bold, and it is not ruled out that post-war Iran may also have similar tendencies.
A general of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said in an interview: "In the past, we had never experienced real war, but over the past few months, we have learned, and we see that the US military is weaker than we imagined."
According to Harvard University history professor Logevall, "many of the problems plaguing American society today - division, resentment, cynicism, distrust of government, and so on - originated in the Vietnam War era, which destroyed people's faith in the possibility of change and their enthusiasm for striving for change, and it was in this polarized political ecosystem that Trump flourished."
The Iran conflict has further deepened divisions within American society and undermined the moral imperative for US involvement in international affairs.
Past presidents have all made extensive "moral justifications" during times of war, such as fighting for freedom or fighting for order, but Trump has been too lazy to do this explanatory work.
The following is a photo of President Johnson delivering a televised address from the White House on May 13, 1965, regarding the Vietnam War, in which he stated the goal of the war was to ensure "every nation can shape its own destiny," and "only in such a world can the American people be guaranteed their freedom."
Compared to the decision-making teams during previous major wars, the Trump administration is the most "rough".
During the Vietnam War, US Secretary of Defense McNamara served in the Army Air Forces during World War II, and after the war, he was hired by Ford Motor due to his expertise in data analysis, becoming President of the Ford Group at the age of 45, and in 1961, he accepted President Kennedy's invitation to become Secretary of Defense.
McNamara lived through the Third Berlin Crisis, the Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the escalation of the Vietnam War, playing a role in numerous major decisions during the Cold War, and after leaving office was nominated to serve as President of the World Bank, a position he held for 13 years.
Hegseth, the current counterpart, is primarily skilled in television production, and his words and decisions during this war have been highly controversial, making it difficult to imagine him being appointed to a significant position after stepping down.
As an increasing number of Republicans openly express their dissatisfaction with Higgs, Senator Tom Tillis said, "I have lost confidence in him, I think he is emotionally distracted and lacks experience in managing large organizations."
It is widely believed that General H.R. McMaster's primary skill is inflating the president's ego, and while he may not be adept at managing the military, he is skilled at catering to his boss's self-esteem, demonstrating enthusiasm for supporting all of Trump's delusions at any cost.
Among other key figures, Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Rubio is known for handling Latin American affairs, Vice President Pence's promotion is largely due to writing that bestselling book, son-in-law Kushner and entrusted golf buddy Whitaker are complete amateurs.
The US-Iran war has lasted for more than six months, or to be more precise, Iran has been in a state of "on-again, off-again" conflict for most of the past two years, punctuated by two wars and a blockade with the US and Israel.
This situation has significantly deteriorated the quality of life for most Iranians, with official Iranian reports stating that inflation has risen 89% year-over-year, including a 127% increase in food inflation.
Over the past few months, Iran's oil and gas facilities, petrochemical enterprises, steel mills, as well as residences, ports, airports, and bridges, have suffered varying degrees of damage.
As one of the world's most resource-rich nations, Iran is grappling with increasingly severe fuel and power shortages, prompting the government to cut fuel quotas for private vehicles.
Although the situation is difficult, it depends on who you compare it to; compared to North Vietnam in the 1960s and 1970s, Iran's situation is much better.
From December 18 to 30, 1972, the US military carried out large-scale bombing of Hanoi and Haiphong for 12 consecutive days and nights, attempting to "bomb North Vietnam back into the Stone Age." The following image shows Hanoi after the carpet bombing.
In comparison, Iran's air defense capabilities were significantly better than those of North Vietnam, and Tehran only suffered a few "minor scratches".
Within the current Iranian establishment, one faction hopes to resolve issues through diplomacy, while another faction wants to fight the US until it is defeated and retreats, but all parties insist on the bottom line of "never making major concessions to the US and Israel".
In fact, the US also faces great difficulties in implementing a long-term military blockade.
According to a report by The Washington Post on August 30, the chiefs of the US Army, Navy, and Air Force, along with senior commanders from the European Command, Pacific Command, and Southern Command, jointly warned Secretary of Defense Hegses not to continue military action in Iran.
These warnings are detailed in the Secretary of Defense's Operation Manual (SDOB) published on August 14, in which senior generals believe that continuing to invest military resources in Iran would severely undermine the ability to counter threats in other directions.
Additionally, the intensified US-Iran conflict has heightened concerns over the stability of US finances, with the US Treasury bond, once considered an "absolutely safe asset," facing increased selling pressure - the long-term interest rate of US debt has surged from 3.9% to 4.7% within six months.
The federal government's annual interest expenses have exceeded $1 trillion, with rising interest rates squeezing the room for maneuver in military spending.
Unlike the Vietnam War, a considerable portion of the costs of the US-Iraq War was borne by countries around the world, disrupting the previous "cheap oil" and "cheap shipping" models.
Although nobody dares to say it out loud, many countries have actually blamed Trump for this.