No, Iran and China Are Not ‘Winning’

In this PJ Media article, Ben Shapiro argues that the legacy press is mistaking enemy survival for enemy victory while downplaying the strategic value of American pressure.

• Shapiro says many media narratives assume that when the United States confronts adversaries such as Iran or China, it must somehow be losing leverage or strengthening its enemies.
• He argues that claims of Iran “winning” are difficult to square with the damage done to its military leadership, regional proxy network, economy, and broader military capabilities.
• The article pushes back on the idea that Iran’s continued resistance proves a stalemate, noting that modern conflicts rarely end with total surrender or instant collapse.
• Shapiro disputes the claim that Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz in any meaningful sense, arguing that its threats to shipping lanes reflect desperation rather than dominance.
• He notes that instability in the Strait of Hormuz also hurts China, which depends heavily on imported energy moving through the region.
• On China, Shapiro argues that Beijing may try to exploit the conflict diplomatically or militarily, but that does not mean it is “winning.”
• The article points to China’s deeper structural weaknesses, including slowing growth, demographic problems, debt, and dependence on imported energy.
• Shapiro acknowledges concerns that U.S. munitions stockpiles could be depleted, but frames that as a long-term defense production failure rather than a Chinese strategic victory.
• He concludes that much of the press interprets nearly any assertion of American power as weakness, while overlooking the basic reality that survival is not the same thing as victory.

Read the full story: https://pjmedia.com/benshapiro/2026/05/27/no-iran-and-china-are-not-winning-n4953324