CBS News contributor Elliot Ackerman, a Marine Corps veteran, breaks down President Trump's military strategy as the U.S. launches new strikes over Iran's alleged interference with the passage of ships in the Strait of Hormuz.
Page A2From§Eachthe sunrise edition — 2 September 2026
U.S. strikes Iran over Hormuz mines; CBS enlists a veteran to co-sign the strategy days later.
As it ran on the front
Let's be clear about what happened in the Strait of Hormuz, because there's been some understandable confusion. The United States struck Iranian assets after mines were detected threatening a critical shipping lane — a defensive action, full stop, the kind of thing any responsible commander-in-chief would — wait, sorry, strikes aren't really defensive if you're the one launching them across a border, so let's call it preemptive, that's the word we're going with today.
The point is, this wasn't escalation, it was deterrence. Deterrence works precisely by looking exactly like escalation right up until it doesn't, and if it doesn't work we'll simply call the next phase 'sustained pressure,' a phrase that means whatever the last phase needed to mean.…
…(cont) And on cable, viewers got the added benefit of a Marine veteran walking them through the military strategy in real time — not administration talking points, mind you, independent expert analysis from someone who happens to agree completely with administration talking points. That's not messaging discipline, that's just what happens when you ask veterans about military strategy, they tend to know things, and it's a total coincidence those things line up with what needed saying on television that week. Total coincidence. I want to be careful here — I did not mean to imply coordination, there was no call, no green room instruction, nothing — I mean, there's always a producer booking the segment, that's just how television works, that doesn't mean anyone told him what to —
Look. Mines got struck. A veteran got booked. Strikes continue, per the headline itself, which is a word that means the first strike wasn't actually the end of anything, but we're not going to dwell on the word 'continue' right now because the segment already aired and it went great. The strategy is working. We'll know it's working when it stops continuing. Until then, next question.
“First they hit the mines, then they hit the airwaves — same conflict, different weapon. When the Pentagon needs cover it doesn't call a general, it calls a veteran with a nice haircut for the evening news. That's not analysis, that's a commercial with better lighting, and the strikes keep going the whole time.”
“The strikes on Iran's mine-laying operation in the Strait of Hormuz were a targeted, proportional response — full stop. And getting a Marine veteran's perspective on-air isn't spin, it's context for viewers. Did I say full stop? I meant — well, the headline says strikes continue, so it's not really 'full stop,' it's ongoing, but the veteran thing is definitely just context.”
The receipts
Iranian officials said the strikes caused significant damage, including killing four people and injuring several dozens at a wedding. Iran said it retaliated by firing on U.S. bases in the region.
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front.