If Ayatollah Once… (opens in new tab)

A protester in Tehran waves an Iranian flag in front of a billboard depicting Donald Trump and the Strait of Hormuz, May 5, 2026. By Romesh Ratnesar As Donald Trump’s ill-considered war on Iran slouches toward an endgame, spare a thought for the conflict’s biggest losers: the Iranian people. In early January, amid a crackdown on anti-regime demonstrations, Trump urged Iranians to “KEEP PROTESTING…. HELP IS ON THE WAY!” The U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign that began on February 28 succeeded in e...