Iran’s fractured leadership can’t be trusted and President Donald Trump’s sequencing—destroying air defenses and nuclear/military infrastructure, then negotiating while imposing a costly blockade—puts time against Tehran and enables U.S. dictation rather than an Obama-style deal, argues Victor Davis Hanson on today’s edition of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words.” Hanson also discusses the upcoming Trump–Xi meeting, saying U.S. drone-centric power and the unraveling of China’s proxy leverage (Iran, Venezuela, Panama, Syria) strengthen Trump’s hand. He criticizes European posturing, highlights Tim Walz’s speech in Spain, and condemns the Left’s elevation of flawed “icons.” Hanson praises Clarence Thomas’s critique of progressivism as anti-Constitutional, attacks Newsom’s governance and narrative, and closes with health updates after lung surgery complications.
