AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTYou have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.At the moment, the United States is negotiating with a regime that President Trump claimed we had already changed, to open a strait that was supposed to be open last month, and to end a nuclear program that we said we had obliterated.We’re doing all that as news continues to emerge that the war wasn’t as one-sided as we were told. In the opening days and weeks of the war, administration officials repeatedly trumpeted an uninterrupted string of American military successes while remaining largely mum about the effectiveness of Iranian attacks. The United States had “embarrassed and humiliated” Iran, Pete Hegseth said.We could fly anywhere, strike anywhere, sink anything. The Iranian military was ravaged. Its navy was at the bottom of the ocean, its air force was decimated, and its missile forces were depleted. In the annals of military conflict, this was a historic rout.Or so we were told.It does not disrespect or diminish American skill and courage to note that the Iranian military was more effective — and American strikes perhaps less effective — than we were led to believe.As more information filters out, the picture gets cloudier and cloudier. Not only was Iran able to immediately and decisively close the Strait of Hormuz, it’s now clear that the Iranian regime inflicted significant damage on American bases in the region and significant damage on oil and natural gas production around the Persian Gulf.In addition, in spite of U.S. air superiority, the Islamic Republic was still able to damage or destroy at least 42 manned and unmanned American aircraft.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT