Mainstream US media is proclaiming the political and strategic...
Max Blumenthal@MaxBlumenthal
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Mar 16, 2026
~1 min read
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Mainstream US media is proclaiming the political and strategic defeat of Trump by Iran.
While claiming the US has "battered" Iran's military – despite Iran's 54th launch of True Promise today and continued hammering of US bases – WaPo declared today that "two weeks of conflict have not achieved the broader aims" of the war, from regime change to denuclearization.
Worse for Trump, he has found no means of opening the Strait of Hormuz, deepening his own personal Suez crisis. His strategic folly has forced 32 nations comprising the International Energy Agency to release their strategic oil reserves to stave off further ruin to the global economy.
Trump has pivoted from attacking the British government to pleading for Starmer to send ships to open the Strait. He's also begging China for naval help. But China is extracting crucial benefits from the war: the US repositioned THAAD systems from South Korea to the Middle East, and Iran has announced that ships can transit the Strait provided they trade their oil in Chinese yuan. Russia is also making gains from the war Trump launched, such as the lifting of US oil sanctions, allowing it to draw revenue which it can invest back into the Ukraine war.
"Iran still has cards to play" is WaPo's way of saying that Iran holds all the important strategic cards. Tehran currently has no reason to accept a unilaterally declared ceasefire, and can continue plugging away at US bases from Bahrain to Iraq – where the US just issued a full evacuation for all Americans.
In a March 13 interview with Fox's Brian Kilmeade, Trump sounded weary, slurring his speech as he branded Iranians "sick people" with bad "genetics." But those the president smears as inferior now appear to control the timing of his demise.
While claiming the US has "battered" Iran's military – despite Iran's 54th launch of True Promise today and continued hammering of US bases – WaPo declared today that "two weeks of conflict have not achieved the broader aims" of the war, from regime change to denuclearization.
Worse for Trump, he has found no means of opening the Strait of Hormuz, deepening his own personal Suez crisis. His strategic folly has forced 32 nations comprising the International Energy Agency to release their strategic oil reserves to stave off further ruin to the global economy.
Trump has pivoted from attacking the British government to pleading for Starmer to send ships to open the Strait. He's also begging China for naval help. But China is extracting crucial benefits from the war: the US repositioned THAAD systems from South Korea to the Middle East, and Iran has announced that ships can transit the Strait provided they trade their oil in Chinese yuan. Russia is also making gains from the war Trump launched, such as the lifting of US oil sanctions, allowing it to draw revenue which it can invest back into the Ukraine war.
"Iran still has cards to play" is WaPo's way of saying that Iran holds all the important strategic cards. Tehran currently has no reason to accept a unilaterally declared ceasefire, and can continue plugging away at US bases from Bahrain to Iraq – where the US just issued a full evacuation for all Americans.
In a March 13 interview with Fox's Brian Kilmeade, Trump sounded weary, slurring his speech as he branded Iranians "sick people" with bad "genetics." But those the president smears as inferior now appear to control the timing of his demise.