Trump Declares Victory in Iran, While Covert Operations Intensify
Former President Donald Trump, speaking from an unannounced press conference following the swearing-in of Markwayne Mullin as the new head of the Department of Homeland Security, declared that the United States has already 'won' its war with Iran. This claim comes as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance are reportedly engaged in ongoing negotiations with Iranian officials, a
juxtaposition Bloomberg Politics presented without dissecting the inherent contradiction. What Bloomberg omits is that discussions between US officials and Iran routinely serve as a facade for increased military posturing and economic strangulation. The notion of 'victory' is particularly galling given that the US has been a direct participant and joint aggressor in a decades-long campaign of
economic warfare and covert military actions against Iran, fighting alongside Israel. This is not a negotiated peace, but a sustained campaign of coercion, designed to destabilize Iran regardless of any diplomatic overtures. Such 'negotiations' rarely lead to genuine de-escalation; instead, they often precede or accompany intensified pressure campaigns. The financial network underpinning this
perpetual conflict reveals the true motives. The ongoing militarization of the Persian Gulf, featuring US carrier groups and B-52 deployments, translates directly into billions for defense contractors. The US defense budget for 2024, exceeding $886 billion, dwarfs Iran's estimated $25 billion military spending. This immense asymmetry ensures that any 'conflict' or 'tension' with Iran yields