The U.S.-Iran war is spreading: missiles hit Gulf states, Hezbollah hesitates, Iraq teeters, and diplomacy is dead.
U.S.-Israeli strikes have killed Khamenei; the IRGC may now seize power. The diplomatic path is closed.
Iraq is being pulled into the war; rockets have landed across the country, and the government does not fully control the factions.
Hezbollah is rearming faster than the LAF can disarm it; the LAF notifies Hezbollah before inspections and has not destroyed underground facilities.
Khamenei’s assassination triggers a war-time succession; the IRGC is central, and the real question is whether Iran remains a clerical system or pivots to military rule.
A growing “shadow fleet” now transports nearly a fifth of global tanker capacity, evading U.S. sanctions; China is the primary buyer.
Trump’s war on Iran has three possible ends: regime collapse, Iranian retaliation outlasting U.S. will, or a return to the deal.
The U.S. misreads Iran because its mental map is wrong: Iran is the pivot of Southwest Asia, not a peripheral oil state.
Operation Epic Fury is a systematic campaign targeting leadership, missiles, and nuclear remnants—aiming for regime change.
Iran will not abandon enrichment; zero enrichment is a dead end. Limited enrichment with strict inspections is the only viable path.
