A Learning Opportunity…
Oil and gas markets have been rocked by disruption to supply out of the Persian Gulf. Prices of both commodities have jumped since the US and Israel began their strikes on Iran. Iran has all but blocked shipments through the Strait of Hormuz — a narrow waterway that handles around a quarter of global seaborne oil trade and a fifth of liquefied natural gas supply. It’s also targeted energy infrastructure across the Gulf, and launched an intense waveof attacks after its own South Pars gas field was struck by Israel.
- How Iran War is Disrupting Global Oil & Gas Supply, Bloomberg
By Gregg Wall (3-21-2026)
Trump attacked Iran on February 28th, 2026. Americans still don’t have clear answers as to the why and the objectives, which appear to be ever changing. What Americans do know is that the majority are deeply disappointed that Trump is involved in another war and prices are already skyrocketing, particularly at the pump. More than sixty percent higher than when Trump left office, January 2021. We also know that Netanyahu has been lobbying for war with Iran for decades. Americans know that Rubio confirmed at one point, that America preempted its own planned preemptive attack, so as to preempt a pending Israeli preemptive attack. At least that was the story du jour for 12 to 24 hours.
This, the Axis of Evil - American/Israeli attack upon Iran, despite the Pentagon saying there was no imminent threat to the United States; this, despite Joe Kent, a former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, resigning this week citing concerns over America’s attack on Iran, stating: Iran posed no imminent threat. This, despite a UK security advisor, who witnessed Iran/US negotiations, believed an agreement was in reach. This, despite the fact that calls for Epstein files release… Trump enjoys the honor of being named thousands of times… continues to be pronounced. Conflicting with all this, Trump said he wiped out Iran’s nuclear program last year, where, again, Trump cut off negotiations to launch an unprovoked attack. Conflicting with this yet again, Trump has declared victory already in the present Iranian attack.
Looks like Trump has a lot of “splaining” to do, particularly when he’s asked for another $200 billion from Congress, on top of a $1 trillion DOW budget (for an organization that’s failed eight… count ‘em… EIGHT consecutive audits). And Trump wants $1.5 trillion next year. It looks like Trump is padding his gangsta budget either for a long, drawn-out conflict in Iran and/or getting ready for more attacks globally, as part of Trump’s Piracy, Theft, and Pilfering Oil & Gas and Natural Resources World Tour. We all know how much Trump hates going to congress, it’s such an assault on Dictator Trump’s ginormous ego, so he appears to be loading up for more wild and wicked terrorist activities. Who knows, perhaps King Bibi dialed in the request?
Before stepping off on several learning opportunities… It’s important to note that while Iran has suffered serious bombing, and will likely deal with the fallout of burning oil & gas fields for decades, the Iranian regime is not giving up and has put up an asymmetrical defense & offense, multivariate, multilateral attack that has rocked Israel, Middle East oil & gas infrastructure, American leadership and assets, and slammed Gulf Monarchies that house U.S. military bases. Iran is not going quietly and appears to be full of drones, missiles, piss, and vinegar. Iran is, of course, kicking ass at pennies on the American taxpayer dollar. Which brings us to learning opportunity one: U.S. war contractor monopolies, the military industrial complex, the unaudited Department of War are ripping off the American people something awful. As is the Congress who seems completely unfazed at being Trump’s rubber stamp and passing absurd defense spending bills, year, after year, after year. See $40 trillion in national debt, no small amount of it attributable to the fraud that is the Department of War and ‘Merika’s billionaire class’ insatiable lust for endless, for-profit wars, violence, and colonial conquest. Sorry, Americans no longer buy the lie that we are fighting for peace, love, freedom, democracy, and nation building (or Iranian protestors). The public is in the know on the Great American Empire scam.
Learning opportunity two: Stop attacking the Global South, especially the Middle East. It’s time to discuss, and learn from, the West’s thoroughly malign practice of attacking civilian populations… with currency manipulation, capital flight, freezing assets, economic sanctions, trashing economies, and war & violence itself… in the hopes that unarmed locals will overthrow their heavily armed and trained governments. All, so that some idiot, like Trump, can install a U.S. backed puppet and steal oil & gas for ‘Merikan billionaires, multinationals, and Wall St. It needs to stop. Oil & Gas is toxic and the wars fought to steal O&G only accelerate the problem: See Iran and Saddam setting the Kuwaiti oil fields alight.
Learning opportunity three: Don’t make a royal ass of oneself by trashing decades of relationships and trade with key allies, in Europe and Five Eyes nations. And then, look for them to bail you out, at the drop of a hat, when the Strait of Hormuz is shut down (along with global energy and with spillover effects as far as the eye can see… not the least of which, presently, is soaring gas and petrol prices). While it’s tempting to ride our European allies about defense, the arrangement is not without a large number of quid pro quos in America’s favor… not the least of which is Amerika, at least at the moment, thanks to our friends and allies support, enjoys the epic perk, or rather curse, of exorbitant privilege. All this is to say, the “perk” … printing money ad nauseum, endless wars & violence, and unconditional fealty and support for Amerikan hegemony… may not last forever. Iranians are kicking some butt, which must make some of our friends and purported adversaries curious: Is the Amerikan empire suffering the fate of all empires, in a death spiral, and no longer what it pretends to be? There’s little doubt that the American people are done with the empire, which is used as a vehicle for banker, billionaire, multinational, private equity, war contractor, and Wall St enrichment. And is on round the clock call for the State of Israel.
Learning opp four: Stop waging war with the planet. Trump’s wag the dog act needs to stop, and if he can’t control himself, if the ghost of Epstein is too great a threat, the POTUS needs to be removed. Ditto the Israeli prime minister. Simple resignations will suffice, no drama required. If it’s good enough for Tricky Dick, surely, it’s good enough for Trump.
Learning opportunity five… there’s really no excuse for any of this. Trump can be shut down from any number of avenues, but a concentrated, harmonized, and multilateral approach is best. Congress has the power of the purse, and just as Congress can giveth, the Congress can also taketh away. Impound military spending, retract or take back war funding. With POTUS Sundowners behaving like a complete lunatic, what better time than now. The Federal Reserve, too, has a role to play. With inflation skyrocketing, it’s a good time to jack up interest rates. You know, to make wars, war spending, DOW spending extremely expensive, along with the debt, deficits, and debt service load used to finance the empire. As for allies, our friends should apply the screws, tough love, and dump the dollar, dump U.S. assets, or at the minimum stop buying Treasuries. Such an act would remind Trump and the U.S. that they aren’t in this alone and Europe/5 Eyes are not to be taken for granted. The American people have a role: Stop voting for these idiots. Seriously, this two-party zoo - and the oligarchy they report to - are destroying the nation, running rough shod over We-The People, and making a mockery of America’s reputation, globally. These people… bankers, billionaires, CEOs, Dem & GOP party grandees, and Wall St mavens… mean us great harm.
As a final parting shot, it’s increasingly clear that the oligarchy views the U.S. government as their personal possession to be used as they see fit, including but not limited to endless for-profit wars, and as a means to achieve billionaire autocracy. Moreover, when we measure the U.S. economy and government in what matters most, such as public services, affordable healthcare, affordable college and trade schools, stable prices, living wages… a strong regulatory state to keep predatory billionaires and corporations in check… the U.S. economy and government are abject failures. Meanwhile, China gets it. With Trump, his cabinet of curiosities and freaks, and billionaire friends seeking to gain global domination… via dollar, energy, and military hegemony… the proper course of action is green energy, watching the U.S. bankrupt itself in a campaign of forever wars, and for the balance the world to unite on security and trade. The United States no longer lives in a unipolar, uni-superpower world. The other superpower, of course, is the world – sans the United States. It appears the administration may finally be waking up to this fact, as Trump continuously foamed and frothed at the mouth this week over Europe’s refusal to join his failed efforts in the graveyard of empires, the Strait of Hormuz.
Copyright JM Hamilton Publishing 2026
