Iran News Update: The Final Blow

On tonight’s show, I’m looking at reports that the Pentagon is considering a so-called crushing final blow against Iran, including ground troops, a huge bombing campaign, blocking Iranian oil shipments, and even the possibility of invading Kharg Island and other islands. I’m going to talk about why that doesn’t sound like a clean ending to a war at all. It sounds like a recipe for something much bigger. If we go after Iran’s oil, they can go after everyone else’s. If we try to seize islands, our troops could end up stranded and exposed. And even if the US succeeded militarily, the basic question would still be the same: then what?

I’m also going to get into why none of this sounds thought through, why Iran is already reportedly reinforcing Kharg Island, and why Trump’s constant talk about negotiations may be more about buying time than making peace. I’ll look at Trump’s claim that the war is somehow “way ahead of schedule,” even though his own timeline doesn’t add up, and I’ll talk about the real-world fallout too: rising gas prices, rising oil, higher inflation risk, new Iranian fees on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, Trump attacking NATO again, weapons being diverted from Ukraine to the Middle East, and even Republicans starting to call this operation exactly what it looks like: a predictable mess.

Main show

Post-show / hang / Q&A