For those who want a deep dive this Sunday morning, from a realistic/sceptical perspective. I guess you can get alleged positives from the MAGA media. Or some of it, at least.

Articles from Friday:-

Denial, normalcy bias and the arrogance of the belligerents will produce a long and highly destructive war

• This war is a test to destruction.
• The Gulf States are starting to grapple with how dire their situation is becoming but are failing to deal with the new reality.
• Self preservation is not yet kicking in.
• Pre-war assumptions have been shattered.
• But hopium abounds.
• Impossible to see Trump retreating sufficiently for Iran. At least for 2-3 months.

Only one country’s [mad?] president is willing to send his navy on a kamikaze Strait of Hormuz mission

• A staggeringly stupid remark from Hegseth.
• Another Gallipoli imminent?

Trump’s Iran War is pushing the post-war international order to breaking point. His reckless actions risk destroying the global political order, but could something good emerge from the wreckage?

Articles from yesterday:- Worser and worser, said Alice. Possibly.

Trump claims the escalation ladder and prepares to send ground troops.

• Complacency in the face of catastrophic downsides that are starting to emerge.
• Trump messaging – looking for a way out?
• US continues to lose ground in a fundamental manner all across the Middle East.
• Looming losses on the economic front.
• The oil market is in unchartered territory and signalling alarm for Europe.
• The desperation of the US administration.

A long interview with Michael Hudson.

• Trump wants a 3rd World War

The NYT: Trump is finally eyeing an exit from Iran. But will he take it? Trump says he is considering “winding down” operations. But many of his original war goals remain unaccomplished.

A NYT editorial: Americans deserve the truth about Iran.

Finally . . .

Points from a paywalled Economist article, headlined: Trump’s Iran war is politically self‑damaging, even if it looks militarily effective. It is making him weaker—and angrier. By diminishing the president’s political superpowers, his reckless campaign might make him more dangerous.

• Trump has repeatedly defied political gravity, but says this war is uniquely well‑designed to derail his second term.​ The conflict undercuts 3 core Trump advantages: his ability to dominate the news narrative, his skill at using leverage, and his control over the Republican Party.​ The war is described as unpopular with voters, more so than recent conflicts, with especially strong opposition among Democrats and independents and softening enthusiasm even among Republicans.​ Higher oil prices from disruption of roughly 10–15% of global supply are hitting Americans’ cost of living, particularly young people and Latinos who had swung toward Trump in 2024.​ Trump campaigned on avoiding new wars and cutting prices “on day one”; breaking both promises is eroding his support.​
• Militarily, the bombing campaign has badly damaged Iran’s navy, missile systems and key assets, and even killed the supreme leader, but left enough capability for Iran to keep using drones and missiles to hurt oil flows. The asymmetry factor: America and Israel may run low on useful targets and air‑defence interceptors faster than Iran runs out of cheap drones.​ Trump has created a problem that only regime change would truly solve, but he is reluctant to commit ground forces to achieve that.​ The war exposes the cost of Trump’s treatment of allies: after years of disparaging NATO and strong‑arming partners, his calls for help to secure the Strait of Hormuz are largely ignored.
• Republicans insist there is “no panic”, but describes clear signs of panic in the White House and the party.​ Republican strategists are complaining that Trump has done an “almost incomprehensibly terrible job” explaining the war and failed to prepare the public for predictable risks, such as Iranian strikes on Gulf neighbours.​ The war is framed as turning Trump’s supposed strengths—toughness, unpredictability, willingness to escalate—into liabilities that scare voters and alienate partners. A short war might still allow Trump to claim victory and recover by November, especially if oil prices fall, but a drawn‑out conflict could “bring his presidency crashing to earth.”
• The bottom line is that the Iran war makes Trump “weaker—and angrier”: it shrinks his room for manoeuvre, worsens his domestic political standing, and strains American power and alliances, even as he lashes out more loudly on media and critics.

Sleep well!