The Economist
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March 2, 2026
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In the second day of their war, America and Israel continue to inflict much more damage on Iran than they are taking. But the Trump administration—whose leaders once criticised endless conflicts in the Middle East—has not articulated a realistic goal in this one, or how to achieve it. Donald Trump has told ordinary Iranians to seize power, but the strikes so far are nothing like what would be needed to cripple the Islamic Republic’s repressive apparatus and free its people.
On the seas, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard claims that it has shut the Strait of Hormuz to traffic, while Mr Trump says America has sunk nine Iranian ships and “largely destroyed” Iran’s naval headquarters. This matters for the significant volumes of Gulf countries’ oil that move through the strait. Read our analysis of the uncertainty ahead.
Lane Greene, Senior digital editor
Editor’s picks
Ali Khamenei may be dead, but Donald Trump has unfinished business
“One conflict stands out in stark contrast,” to most American wars, argued Pete Hegseth, America’s secretary of defence, speaking to a gathering of America’s top officers last year. He pointed to the Gulf war of 1991. “It was a limited mission with overwhelming force and a clear end state.” In their latest war on Iran, America and Israel have undoubtedly brought overwhelming force. Israeli jets alone dropped more than 1,200 munitions on 500 targets across Iran in a single day. Iran was “obliterated”, claimed President Donald Trump, implausibly. What is less clear is the end state. livvy dunne nudes
With the supreme leader dead, power in Iran hangs in the balance
The killing of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, is the bloody climax of nearly half a century of enmity between America and Iran’s clerical regime. For decades the Islamic Republic’s devotees chanted “Death to America” and “Death to Israel”. Now they have brought death to its leader—and to many of its most senior military officials. On its face, it is a striking success for Donald Trump, who had long catalogued the regime’s aggression against America and its efforts to destabilise the region. He may have dealt a mortal blow to Iran’s theocracy. The question is what comes next.
War in Iran could cause the biggest oil shock in years
President Donald Trump likes to launch his military campaigns on a weekend. In June, during a 12-day war started by Israel, American forces bombed Iran’s nuclear sites on a Sunday. They captured Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s former dictator, on a Saturday in January. And they hit Iran again on February 28th, a Saturday, in dozens of strikes co-ordinated with Israel that killed Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader. One theory is that Mr Trump deliberately pushes the button when oil markets are closed, to let the dust settle and prevent prices from going haywire. If so, it is unlikely to work this time.
