¹On 17 March 2026, I appeared on Rachel Blevins’ popular podcast to discuss the Iran war with her.
We discussed the deep trouble the US is in as it thinks about either going up the escalation ladder or finding an exit ramp. President Trump has no good options, only bad and worse ones.
We also focused on the fact that China and Russia are benefitting from this war. Specifically, the US is pivoting away from East Asia by moving precious resources from there to the Middle East, weakening its ability to contain China.
The ongoing war has strengthened Russia in its fight against Ukraine not only by lifting sanctions on Russian oil, but also by limiting the flow of weaponry to Ukraine. After all, the US needs all the weapons it can get for it and Israel to wage their misbegotten war against Iran.
The U.S. is moving military assets out of China’s backyard and lifting oil sanctions imposed against Russia, as the Trump Admin feverishly tries to reinforce its war against Iran and concentrates its resources on the front that seemed like an after-thought in Trump’s ‘National Security Strategy’ late last year.
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Rachel Blevin² :
Dr. John Mearsheimer³, an author, international relations expert and professor at the University of Chicago, noted that the Trump Admin attacked Iran and assassinated its leader, thinking it would be a “quick and decisive victory.” Instead, the U.S. is now stuck in a “war of attrition” in Iran that it wasn’t prepared and can’t seem to get out of…
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¹https://youtu.be/MJAhJ6vc3Mg?is=KKu8CHPpWPQeIzZF
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²https://rachelblevins.substack.com/p/russia-china-iran-trump-john-mearsheimer
SOURCE LINKS:
16 March 2026 – Trump says ‘the greatest experts—nobody thought’ Iran was going to target the Gulf states in retaliation for a U.S. attack
16 March 2026 – Trump demands NATO and China police the Strait of Hormuz. So far they aren’t joining
17 March 2026 – ‘They hold the cards now’: Trump allies fear Iran is slipping beyond the president’s control
17 March 2026 – Financial Times Op-Ed: ‘The era of US dominance in economic warfare is over’
13 March 2026 – Trump Knew the Risk of Iran Blocking the Strait of Hormuz. He Still Went to War.
16 March 2026 – Iran has allowed the first oil tanker to pass through the Strait of Hormuz after the shipment was paid for in Chinese yuan
