US President Donald Trump has decided to scale back planned military exercises with South Korea, a move Robert Kelly, an international relations professor at Pusan National University, linked to Trump’s failure in the war against Iran. In comments to Al Jazeera cited in a report published on August 17, 2026, Kelly said Trump had expected the conflict to end quickly.

Kelly said Trump appeared to have anticipated a sudden campaign similar to the rapid operation he conducted in Venezuela in January. Instead, the situation grew beyond control into a major conflict and evolved into an unusual cycle of reciprocal attacks. He said the conflict was beginning to resemble what Americans call an “endless war.”

According to Kelly, Trump now sees himself as trapped and is looking for someone to blame. He said US allies have become convenient targets, noting that Trump had previously criticized NATO for the same reason. Kelly added that South Korea has not directly participated in the war and was not consulted, while Trump is trying to conceal or shield himself from responsibility for the crisis in the Gulf region.