Suicide at Sea

Republicans constantly tout their patriotism, their support for our troops, and their disdain for anyone who disrespects our flag or our women and men in uniform. So why are they silent about what has come to light about conditions aboard one of our Navy carriers deployed to the Middle East?

Reports surfaced this week about the horrifying conditions plaguing Navy and Marine personnel aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln. This is the same carrier where President George W Bush famously declared “mission accomplished” during the Gulf War after 9/11.

Apparently, the conditions aboard the ship have become so bad that some crewmembers have attempted suicide by jumping off the ship into the ocean sixty feet below. The reports describe skimpy food portions from the mess hall, moldy showers, lack of hot water, lack of drinkable water, and shortages of food and essential hygiene items like toothpaste, deodorant, and soap. What’s worse is the reports of sailors attempting to jump overboard.

The conditions are being blamed on logistics, but we think it’s more than the logistics of deployment. It’s incompetence and indifference. Ever heard of the saying: “The fish rots from the head”? When asked what he thought about the reports, Donald Trump, the Commander in Chief, dismissed them out of hand and said that the sailors haven’t been deployed “nearly long enough”. Two hundred sixty-fivedays and counting isn’t nearly long enough for a man who avoided being drafted for the Viet Nam War by getting a doctor to say his bone spurs on his feet were so severe he couldn’t possibly walk the jungles of Viet Nam. But those same feet have been able to walk countless miles on golf courses all over the world.

Trump has no earthly idea what it takes for the men and women who enlist in our military to endure the conditions necessary to sustain, support or carry out the missions they are tasked with. The “let them eat cake” attitude he displayed when the press asked him about the reports from servicemembers’ families is despicable but it’s what can be expected from this president.

Secretary of Defense Hegseth dismissed the reports as “completely misrepresented”, Republicans in Congress are silent, and families are left with little to no communication about their loved ones in many instances.

The wife of one servicemember has now spoken out. She recounted and shared texts from her husband who jumped overboard. He talked about his deteriorating mental state and told her how his requests for help were ignored by his chain of command. The sailor was in the water for an hour before the rescue personnel were able to retrieve him from the ocean. She has requested to remain anonymous out of what we are sure is fear of retaliation by the government, or by MAGA, against her and her husband.

So now, after all the backlash, the Pentagon has sent the USS George Washington to the Middle East to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln; a move the White House claims has nothing to do with the media coverage of the conditions or the suicide attempts.

MAGA Meltdown

Pragmotiv News Host, Kameron posted this pic and all hell broke loose. It blew up on Threads. The MAGA-verse had a mini melt-down and came for him in the comments. Why is it that a picture posted on social media elicits such a firestorm? Is it because the idea of people of color and women running this country scares the crap out of them?

After he got a kick out of their meltdown, he contemplated MAGA’s use of the familiar buzzwords used to describe Liberals and Democrats are just that; buzzwords. Do they really even know what the terms Socialist or Marxist mean? Or are they merely spouting what they think will scare people into voting for them? Let’s explore these buzzwords.

A Marxist is one who views history as a struggle between the bourgeoise (those who own the means of production) and the proletariat (those who sell their labor). They view capitalism as an exploitation of workers and posits that capitalism will inevitably be overthrown by a socialist revolution leading to an eradication of societal classes and the promotion of a communist society. This world view was espoused by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in the 1800s.

Many of those on the Right love to screech about Liberals’ desire to “usher in Sharia law” or their intent to make America a Communist State. But the truth is no one in the Democratic party or on the Left is advocating the eradication of Capitalism. All people on the Left are saying is that the Middle-Classneeds relief; healthcare is a human right and that all the wealth begotten by the richest one percent should not be obtained at the expense of the working class.

Socialist is a term they’ve used for decades to describe Leftists and Democrats, but this term no longer scares people. As people have learned more about the details of democratic policies, this term has been rendered somewhat mute. But, for the sake of discussion, the term is defined as an “economic and political system centered on public or collective ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods and services. In a socialist society, major industries, utilities, and resources are managed by the state to reduce economic inequality and ensure that wealth is distributed based on contribution or need, as opposed to private profit. Democratic socialists combine this economic model with a multi-party democratic political system.

Although there are some on the left who describe themselves as Democratic Socialists, this is not an adoption of full-on socialism. Today’s use of that moniker to describe one’s world view connotes one who is more to the left of the Democratic Party. Their view is that the top one percent should not continue to get wealthier while the bottom ninety-nine percent get poorer and have less. They still believe in capitalism, but advocate that everyone, including the rich, pays a proportionate share in taxes to ensure that the government can provide the things needed by society that society cannot provide for itself. That is what the role of government is.

Communism refers to a political and economic ideology that positions itself in opposition to liberal democracy and capitalism. It seeks to establish a classless, stateless society where all property as well as all means of production are commonly owned, and wealth is shared equally. In historical practice, however, communist societies have been governed by a single ruling party exercising centralized control over both politics and the economy.

Reread that last sentence and let that sink in. That sentence describes in practical terms what the current group in power seems to be leading us towards. They advocate male dominance and control and female subservience. They are patriarchal and want to control what we think, what we read, what we can say and what women do with their own bodies.

Republicans are the ones who want to remain in power forever and make it so that they can’t get voted out of power by the people. This is the reason for the voter suppression efforts through their constant lies about voter fraud. It’s the reason for their decades-long gerrymandering efforts. So, one of the two major political parties in the United States is embracing Communism, but it is not the Democrats.

Last, but not least: Sharia Law. Sharia Law is the religious and mora code of Islam. It encompassespersonal duties, religious observances, and broad social and legal guidelines. Ask yourself which political party in the United States has espoused views that fit the above description? Think about Roe v Wade. Think about how they have circumvented the separation of Church and State mandate: The insistence on the Ten Commandments being displayed in public school classrooms. Republicans are obsessed with people’s sexuality and controlling what people do in private. This is why we keep calling them the party of projection; everything they accuse the Left of is something they have done or are trying to do.

Hide The Turkey

Iran has been threatening to kill Donald Trump for years. It has been widely speculated that the previously thwarted attempts were ordered by Iran. At the NATO summit in Türkiye last month, they received a credible threat against Trump and Air force One such that they felt it necessary to sneak him away in a catering van to a military jet. In doing so, they left the entire press pool vulnerable to the attack.

At the time, Trump lied and said that he had taken the original Air Force One to Britain for “old times sake” and that he left the luxury jet donated by Qatar because he knew the troops would get a kick out of seeing it on the tarmac.

It later came out that the new jet lacks the security capabilities of the older Air Force Ones. Trump never flew out on the older plan. Instead, they took him off the plane from the opposite side he had entered in a catering container. This was to ensure that the reporters traveling with him on the plane would not know he wasn’t on it.

While on the flight to Britain, reporters and staff on the original Air Force One are told to keep the shades down. Meanwhile, Trump is flown on a third military plane, then sneaked back onto Air Force One and exits like he has been on the flight the entire time. Past Presidents would have been forthcoming about the threats. But Donald Trump obviously feels like he must hide all adverse facts surrounding Iran because he knows he’s in a quandary of his own making. He literally picked a fight with a country that should be no match for the United States but is nonetheless besting us because of the incompetence of his administration.

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Hypocritical Oath?

In an interview on Fox News this week, James David Vance said that “God was trying to get his attention” by knocking a glass off the wall. Newsflash JD, God does not have to break things to get your attention. If a spirit knocked the glass off a wall in JD Vance’s vicinity, it most assuredly was not a spirit of The Lord. God has rules against spirits manifesting physicality in the material world, and He would not break his own rules to communicate with the likes of JD Vance. A true Catholic would know that. A “Catholic” of convenience like Vance obviously does not know that God forbids spirits this type of interaction with humans.

If this wasn’t enough of a glimpse into the putrid state of JD Vance’s aura, there’s his awkward and lackluster defense of wife, Usha Vance’s against attacks by white supremacists during the 2024election. He said, “obviously she’s not a white person, and we’ve been accused -- attacked by some white supremacists over it. But I just – I love Usha. She’s such a good Mom, she’s a brilliant lawyer and I’m so proud of her”.

Vance is just strange and awkward. In another interview on Fox News, Vance was shown comments made about him by Abdul el-Sayed, the candidate from Michigan running for U.S. Senate. El-Sayed rightly criticized Vance on his sycophantic reversal of his opinion of Donald Trump.

Vance was previously a critic of Trump until he was tapped to be his running mate and then it was as though he had forgotten everything he had written about in his book “Hillbilly Elegy”, a New York times best-selling autobiographical account of his life and cultural background. In that book, Vance arguesthat the social decline in White working-class communities stems not just from a mix of economic factors, but from cultural and behavioral issues as well.

This is one of the reasons Vance has been labeled a hypocrite because over the roughly seven years between his 2016 critiques of Trump and the 2024 election cycle, Vance went from a Never Trumper to a staunch defender. As El-Sayed said, he sucked up to power.

The full video content of what was discussed in this article can be viewed on our YouTube Channel. Pragmotiv News can also be viewed and listened to on all other social media platforms and podcast platforms.

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There was a definite through-line to the stories we covered this week. And it’s an unmistakably negative through-line. The Republican Party, headed by Donald Trump, has no shortage of derelicts, warring factions, racists and power-hungry people who have no moral compass.

Bad Behavior? No Big Deal!

Republicans and their supporters continually make excuses for their members’ abhorrent behavior. It’s as though reprehensible behavior is automatically dismissed and cast aside. Why is that? Is it because they know their ranks are dwindling because the gigantic boulder of lies they’ve unleashed on the public has finally reached the bottom of the mountain?

Take Max Miller, Republican congressman from Ohio. Emily Moreno alleges that her husband has thrown scalding water on her, held a gun to her head and has also thrown her up against a wall during arguments. She even alleges abuse of their two-year-old daughter. Moreno is the daughter of Republican Senator Bernie Moreno, who has told news outlets he “fears for his granddaughter when she is in the company of her father”. Miller denies the allegations, but this isn’t the first time he has been accused of violence against a woman. Former White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham alleges Miller abused her during their relationship. She wrote about the abuse in her 2021 memoir and later identifiedMiller as her abuser in a Washington Post story.

It’s hard for us here at Pragmotiv to be shocked by the stories coming out of the right-wing ecosystem, but what’s more maddening than this story of domestic violence is the reaction of other republicans. Grisham claims to have told White House officials about the abuse at the time, but nothing was done. Likewise, it seems nothing will be done by the party about these allegations as well because Republicans are in lockstep as usual, closing ranks and rallying around their guy. Because of the growing scrutiny, the House Ethics Committee has now announced their intent to open an investigation.

It would be too numerous to list all the allegations surrounding republican members, the failure of leadership to investigate allegations or implement accountability measures; think Pete Hegseth, Matt Gaetz, Cory Mills, and Roy Moore. I could go on. A cursory google search brings up so many allegations with virtually no backlash from the party’s leadership.

In contrast, the Democrats always swiftly condemn their members who are accused of such things and there is usually some form of accountability or, at the very least, public condemnation. Recent case in point: Graham Platner. Miller has vowed to stay in the race and the fact that he could still win that seat is very problematic. It says that the republican body politic is ok with their members being accused of horrific acts and nothing being done about it. Again, it’s not surprising given who they elected as President, but it is appalling.

The MAGA Implosion

Speaking of the “President”. There are growing signs that his MAGA base is fractured. Defections by former loyalists Marjorie Taylor Green, Ashley St. Clair, and Tucker Carlson. Some well-known right-wing Podcasters have even started to criticize the administration’s handling of certain things. Whereas, in the past, the administration and trump received little, if any, scrutiny. Polls show the overall numbers of those identifying themselves as republicans continue to shrink. What is going on?

Former MAGA members are getting together to deradicalize and reunite with family and friends. One such nonprofit named Leaving Maga was started by former Trump loyalist Rich Logis. Why would you need de-radicalization unless you are in a cult? That’s the difference between the Left and the Right. The Left calls out its leaders and debates amongst themselves to foster consensus and move forward together. No party is perfect, certainly not the Democratic party.However, it just seems to us that there’s a lot of deviant, violent, radical, and problematic thinking and behavior amongst those who make up the Republican Party.

One news story revealed the roots of indoctrination. Former members spoke about a sense of belonging and being wooed by MAGA members with financial and emotional help that seemed to come with strings attached. One self-described “Trad Wife” talked about something called “household voting”. This is an ultra-conservative political concept where a family casts only one collective vote. It proposes that the wife should voluntarily cede her individual votingright to the husband under the belief that the husband should exclusively represent the political interests of the family.

When you consider the details of the SAVE Act, it’s clear where the impetus for the Bill’s proposed suppression of women’s voting rights came from. It’s literally giving cult! As with most cults, there comes a point where the cult members start to see through the farce and once their eyes are opened, they want nothing more to do with the cult. One very poignant story was that of Stefania, the “Trad Wife”. During the pandemic, her husband contracted long-covid and could no longer work, so she had to go back to work as a Respiratory Therapist. She talked about how her eyes began to open when the information she was being fed by the MAGA echo chamber began to conflict with her understanding of science. They were being told conflicting things about masks. MAGA said don’t wear a mask, they don’t stop the spread, and she knew this to be false. She says the karmic feeling that her family was being negatively impacted by her own voting choices finally broke through the cognitive dissonance. The right-wing echo chamber has a dumbing effect that offers a steady diet of lies and misinformation. We here at Pragmotiv are trying to counteract that by presenting facts.

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Further concrete proof that MAGA is fractured is the fact that the White House is now telling Republican candidates running in midterm elections to distance themselves from Trump. He is, once again, a liability. But even though it is clear that MAGA is imploding, it doesn’t mean the rest of us can just sit by and watch it happen. We must actively participate in our democratic processes to save our republic from further decline. Our economy has been damaged. Our reputation and standing in the world as a leader are degraded. Who has Donald Trump and the Republican Party’s policies and actions benefitted. Not us. But they have benefitted some: Trump, his cronies, his family and Vladimir Putin.

Racism is Cool Again

The only thing Donald Trump has made great again is racism. The racism coming from the right is palpable and increasingly out in the open. It’s now okay to be blatantly sexist and racist. Where does this lead? Some would argue it leads to people being hurt and killed. At the very least, it leads to things like what happened to Amir Hassan. Hassan is a Black man who was running for Michigan’s eighth district congressional seat. He lost to Tom Smith after leading during the entire cycle and after his opponent had already dropped out of the race! Hassan lost purely because of MAGA’s racism against Muslims and Black people. Hassan used to be a Muslim, but he converted to Christianity some years ago. The attack ads and social media posts painted him as a Muslim immigrant; strictly because of his name. The attacks prompted him to make a video about it.

In the video, Hassan explained how he is not an immigrant, was born here and how his family has been American citizens in the Michigan area for hundreds of years. But because hatred of names like Hassan and El-Sayed has been fomented constantly by the right-wing echo chamber, he was unable to overcome the negative effect even with Trump’s resounding endorsement. If this doesn’t prove that most voters don’t do their own research on candidates, we don’tknow what does.

This past week’s Congressional election in Missouri between Former Congresswoman Cory Bush and Wesley Bell ended with Bell taking 71% of the votes. Bush was trying to reclaim the seat she lost in 2024. Her opponent, Bell, who takes money from Trump’s donors as well as AIPAC, was silent regarding a sinister and racist ad against a fellow Black person. AIPAC ran an attack ad against Bush that used an altered photo of her with exaggerated facial features making her look ape-like. This is an age-old trope of Black people. You would think in 2026, these types of attacks would be frowned upon and called out. But Trumpism has lowered the bar so much and injected so much vitriol and vileness into our discourse that this type of thing is tolerated and employed with impunity.

Both actions and inactions have consequences. Good people must continue to call out the injustices, the vitriolic language, the violent idealism and the blatant racism for what it is. We must strive for respect and fairness in political discourse. It’s a difficult thing to do when the people at the top are fomenting it from the bully pulpit.

Let The Cheating Commence

If you pay attention to Donald Trump, he always telegraphs what he is going to do. Watch what he says but pay close attention to what he and his administration actually do. Right now, he’s telegraphing his real playbook for the upcoming midterm elections. It will not be stuffing ballot boxes or hacking voting machines (something many experts say is not possible). He plans to make you take away your own vote by scaring you into never casting it in the first place. The threat to send “monitors” is a way of chilling voter turnout. “Election integrity” legislation enacted in red states is meant to be voter suppression. Sympathetic organizations such as the Proud Boys will continue to act upon his implied marching orders as they seemingly did in 2022 in Arizona showing up armed to ballot drop locations.

In Michigan this past week, his administration had anonymous people on the ground at polling places. The Justice Department says they were monitoring polls in four Michigan counties, including Detroit’s. While we didn’t know what they were really doing there, there were teams at about two-thirds of the precincts. What were they doing? Was Todd Blanche placating Trump or was it a dress rehearsal for November? Were they getting the layout of these places so that they could seize ballots on election night? We can only look at the history of what has happened or been done in the past to try to gauge what will be done this November. Stay vigilant. Make a voting plan.

This concludes our recap of what we covered here at Pragmotiv News this week. As always, you can catch our new videos every weekday here on Substack, YouTube, and anywhere you get your podcasts.

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Correspondent Snoozefest

The octogenarian president, Donald John Trump, can’t keep his eyes open to save his life. His sycophantic lackies claim it’s because he stays up all night due to his “boundless energy”. Yeah. We don’t buy it. Actually, Trump’s inability to stay awake during the day is characteristic of something called “sundowning”. Sundowning is a term that describes a group of behavioral symptoms associated with dementia. Trouble sleeping at night is brought on by changes in the brain’s internal clock or circadian rhythm.

So, which scenario makes more sense? An eighty-year-old obese, elderly male who doesn’t exercise or eat right; has outward physical signs of regularly receiving IV medications; whose ankles are constantly swollen and whose gait is noticeably off has “boundless” energy to the point that he stays awake working all night and thus requires naps during the day? Or HE’S SUNDOWNING!!?? You decide for yourself.

The MAGA right wing talking-point apparatus successfully branded Joe Biden as “Sleepy Joe”. But Biden NEVER did what Trump is doing.

There are nine hundred and two days left of this, the second Trump administration. This past week, we were treated to the do-over of the White House Correspondent’s Dinner. Back in April, the dinner was disrupted by gunfire as an armed gunman rushed past a security checkpoint. Like everything else this administration does, the presidential monologue was mediocre at best. It’s customary for presidents to joke around and poke fun during the monologue: poking fun at themselves and everyone else. Trump “joked” about a fourth term as President. The audience did not find it the least-bit amusing. In fact, most of his delivered one-liners sparked a rousing round of SILENCE peppered with snickers and a few giggles.

Trump went on to awkwardly attempt jokes about CBS News head Bari Weiss (who is arguably his ally) and democrat candidate from Texas, James Talerico. The continued attacks on Talerico by Republicans only prove how utterly scared of his candidacy they are. They are so scared of his momentum and popularity they are lobbing falsehoods and outlandish accusations about his beliefs, his intentions, and even his sexuality.

Maybe the snoozefest at the dinner was because Trump tired himself out during an expletive-laden tirade earlier that day. At a meeting in the oval that afternoon, Trump reportedly called Iranian leadership scumbags because he is frustrated with the war in Iran. He thought it would be over by now. But as the war lingers on with no offramp for his administration, the higher prices for food and gasoline along with the American people’s sour sentiment have tanked his approval rating and Republicans’ prospects for the Midterms. As the polls continue to predict a blue wave in November, Trump’s administration continues to crank out spin and lies.

Speaking Of Liars

Karoline Leavitt continues to prove how worthy she is of her nickname: Karolyin’ Leavitt. As one of Trump’s surrogates on Fox News this past week, the press secretary towed the line and spouted lie after provable lie: “Trump gave the middle class a massive tax cut; Biden wrecked the economy and Trump’s policies are fixing it”. Oh, and: the Trump accounts will give America’s kids $300K towards the American Dream. BULLSHIT!! The only way a Trump Account from a government funded seed deposit of $1000 will grow to $300,000 is if the annual private contributions are maxed and there is long-term stock market compounding from birth to age eighteen. Five thousand dollars per year would have to be contributed, and the contributions would have to be invested in some type of market equity fund.

The Trump administration’s policies are so bad and people’s opinions of them are so low they must twist themselves into knots lying to make themselves and their policies appear better than they actually are.

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Nolan Wells’ Autopsy Complete

On Thursday, July 30^th, the official Mississippi state autopsy report was completed. However, the family still does not know much more than they did before the report was completed, and they only found out the report was done because they started receiving calls from media outlets. That’s right! Mississippi officials didn’t even have the decency to give them a heads up.

The law enforcement officials in Mississippi seem unwilling to do the basic investigative work to determine the true cause of Nolan’s death. They completed the medical autopsy earlier in July but did not release any findings publicly. The results are still unknown to the parents. Why withhold parts of his body, especially the throat and the lungs? If he drowned, the lungs would give evidence of that. Why are they making things so difficult for Nolan Wells’ parents. Why can’t they just give them updates? Is it because they fear foul play? Are they trying to shield the “friends” who may have been involved in or responsible for Nolan’s death?

Speculation abounds because it is being fueled by a lack of transparency and an attitude of indifference. With Mississippi’s long dark history, the public is right to question the motives of these officials. It’s all just too murky and bizarre for us to believe what is being said and take it at face value. We will keep you abreast of this story as it continues to unfold.

This concludes our recap of what we covered here at Pragmotiv News this past week. Make sure to tune in this week for new videos and updates! Have a great Sunday!

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Most Americans think our conflict with Iran began in 1979.

It didn’t.

To understand why Iran refuses to surrender to U.S. pressure today, you must start with a CIA coup that took place more than seventy years ago.

If you were to ask the average American citizen when Iran became an enemy of the United States, they would most likely say in 1979, when Iran seized our embassy in Tehran.

It didn’t.

Hostility between the United States and Iran stretches back more than 70 years, through coups, revolutions, wars, and broken agreements. Those events shaped how Iran’s leadership—and many ordinary Iranians—view the United States today. In fact, if you were to ask the average Iranian when our two countries became enemies, they would most likely say 1906.

This decades-long history of enmity is also why Iran is unlikely to simply surrender in any confrontation with the United States, no matter how powerful our military capabilities are.

To understand this current conflict, we must understand the past.

A Timeline of U.S.–Iran Relations

In the timeline below, I explain the events that have shaped our current geopolitical reality, as it pertains to Iran.

1906 — Iran’s Constitutional Revolution

Between 1905 and 1911, Iran experienced a transformative political uprising known as the Constitutional Revolution. Sparked by public anger over economic hardship, government corruption, and growing foreign influence from Russia and Britain, a coalition of merchants, clerics, intellectuals, and urban activists pushed back against the absolute authority of the Qajar monarchy. Their protests forced Shah Mozaffar ad-Din Qajar to approve a constitution in 1906 and establish Iran’s first elected parliament. This was the country’s first serious attempt to introduce constitutional rule and a representative government and one of the first constitutional movements in the Middle East. In 1907, Britain and Russia

During this period, specifically by 1907, Britain and Russia formalized their influence over Iran through the Anglo-Russian Convention, an agreement that effectively divided the country into spheres of influence without consulting the Iranian government.

• Russia gained dominance in northern Iran, including major cities such as Tabriz, Tehran, and Mashhad.

• Britain controlled a southern zone, particularly areas near the Persian Gulf that were strategically important for protecting British India and trade routes.

• A central “neutral zone” was created where both powers could pursue economic and political influence.

Although Iran technically remained an independent state, the agreement significantly limited its sovereignty. Britain and Russia were able to influence Iranian politics, economic concessions, and even military actions within their respective zones. This foreign intervention angered Iranian nationalists and undermined the country’s constitutional movement, which was already struggling to establish parliamentary rule. This internal turmoil coupled with foreign influence eventually suppressed the revolutionary government by 1911.

Fast forward to 1941, during World War II, Britain and the Soviet Union invaded and occupied Iran to secure a supply corridor for military aid to the Soviet Union. Under intense military and political pressure from the occupying powers, Reza Shah Pahlavi, the founder of the Pahlavi dynasty, was forced to abdicate his throne on September 16, 1941.

He stepped down in favor of his son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who then became the new Shah of Iran.

Photo Credit: Associated Press/ Harvard Magazine

1953 — CIA-Backed Coup

In 1951, Muhammad Mossadegh became the Prime Minister of Iran through Parliamentary Appointment. He had strong national support from the Iranian people. Mossadegh was a secular nationalist concerned with Iran’s sovereignty and control of its own resources, namely oil. At that time, Britain’s Anglo-Iranian Oil Company extracted Iran’s oil under terms the Iranian people considered unfair and exploitative.

Saudi Arabia had negotiated a 50/50 deal with American oil companies, and the Iranians wanted the same deal. Britain refused to renegotiate their deal, saying they could not be flexible because of the war debts they faced. Prime Minister Mossadegh and the Iranian Parliament then nationalized Iran’s oil industry, which Britain viewed as theft. They imposed sanctions and sought international legal remedies. When these efforts failed, Britain successfully pressured the United States government into viewingIran as a communist threat. The CIA agreed to participate in a covert operation, Operation Ajax.

They sent an operative to Tehran. His name was Kermit Roosevelt (grandson of Teddy Roosevelt and cousin of FDR). Working along with British Intelligence, Roosevelt carried CIA funds to distribute and fund protests and propaganda. The efforts were sufficient to mobilize unrest and eventually succeeded in the removal of Muhammad Mossadegh as prime minister. The U.S. government saw this as a victory against the spread of communism. But the Iranian people saw this as a foreign power toppling a democratic government; a national trauma.

1953–1979 — Rule of the Shah

The Shah of Iran returned to full power and over the next 25 years, he ruled Iran as one of America’s most important allies. Iran purchased large quantities of weapons from the United States, and the United States treated The Shah as a pillar of stability. TheIranian people were subjected to a repressive Iranian government under The Shah.

SAVAK, which stands for Sāzmān-e Ettelā’āt va Amniyat-e Keshvar (Organization of Intelligence and National Security), was established in 1957. It was created with assistance from the United States’ CIA and Israel’s Mossad to help the Shah consolidatepower and monitor political opposition.

1979 — Iranian Revolution

SAVAK functioned as Iran’s secret police and domestic intelligence service. Its responsibilities included:

• Surveillance of political opponents

• Censorship of media and publications

• Interrogation and detention of suspected dissidents

• Suppression of opposition groups, including leftists, nationalists, and religious activists

The organization became widely feared for its extensive surveillance network and allegations of torture and repression. Opposition to SAVAK’s practices contributed to growing resentment toward the Shah’s government, which ultimately played a role in the 1979 Iranian Revolution that overthrew the monarchy. The Islamic Republic was then established under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Photo Credit: Reuters

1979–1981 — U.S. Hostage Crisis

For many Americans, the 1979 Iranian Revolution was initially viewed as the collapse of a long-standing U.S. ally. Washington had supported Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi for decades following the 1953 CIA-backed coup that removed Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh. In November 1979 Iranian students seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days.

The students seized the embassy primarily because they believed the United States was interfering in Iran’s affairs and might try to restore the recently deposed Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to power.

The immediate trigger occurred in October 1979, when the U.S. allowed the Shah to enter the country for cancer treatment. Iranian students feared this could lead to another American-backed attempt to return him to power.

Also, the United States backed Iraq during the war between the two nations, further deepening Iranian mistrust of the U.S.

After the 1981 hostage crisis, U.S.–Iran relations were defined by decades of sanctions, proxy conflict, and rising tensions over Iran’s nuclear program, with periodic military confrontations and diplomatic breakdowns.

Photo Credit: U.S. State Department

2015 — Iran Nuclear Deal (JCPOA)

Hostilities eased temporarily in 2015 with the Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA), the first major agreement between the two countries since the revolution.

The Obama administration got the Iranians to agree to restrictions on its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

2018 — U.S. Withdrawal from the Nuclear Deal

The Trump administration exits the agreement and reinstates sweeping sanctions.

The embassy seizure that same year permanently altered relations between the two countries.

In American politics, Iran became a symbol of anti-Western extremism.

In Iranian political rhetoric, the United States became known as the “Great Satan.”

III. Iran’s Strategic Network

Iran has spent decades building regional influence through allied movements and militias across the Middle East.

Often referred to by analysts as the “Axis of Resistance,” this network includes:

• Hezbollah in Lebanon
• Shiite militias in Iraq
• the Syrian government
• Houthi forces in Yemen

These groups allow Iran to project influence across the region without relying solely on its conventional military forces.

Russia and China: Strategic Backers

Iran has also cultivated relationships with major global powers.

Russia and Iran have expanded military cooperation in recent years, while China has become one of Iran’s largest economic partners.

In 2021, China and Iran signed a 25-year strategic cooperation agreement that includes infrastructure investment, energy cooperation, and expanded trade.

While neither country is likely to directly enter a war on Iran’s behalf, these partnerships provide Tehran with economic resilience and diplomatic support.

Current War Developments

Recent reporting suggests the confrontation between the United States and Iran has entered a dangerous new phase, with sustained military exchanges and widening regional fallout.

According to multiple reports, U.S. and Israeli forces have carried out large-scale strikes on Iranian military infrastructure, including a major March 13 bombing campaign targeting more than 90 sites on Kharg Island, a critical hub tied to Iran’s military and energy network.

The conflict has intensified in recent days. Israeli strikes have reportedly killed senior Iranian leadership figures, including top security officials, signaling a direct effort to weaken the Iranian state’s command structure.

Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks across the Persian Gulf, targeting U.S. positions (including our Embassies), allied states, and commercial shipping. These retaliatory strikes have expanded the conflict geographically, with reported attacks or incidents affecting vessels and infrastructure near the Strait of Hormuz and even reaching Gulf cities such as Abu Dhabi and Doha.

The Strait of Hormuz has become a central flashpoint. Iranian actions—including attacks on tankers and efforts to disrupt shipping—have halted traffic through the waterway, a critical artery for roughly 20 percent of global oil supply.

The economic consequences have been immediate and severe. Oil prices have surged around or above $100 per barrel, while global energy markets remain volatile amid fears of prolonged disruption. Domestic gas prices have increased dramatically in just days.

At the same time, human and strategic costs are mounting. U.S. officials report hundreds of American service members injured including thirteen fatalities, while regional casualties continue to rise across Iran and neighboring states. Analysts also warn that sustained operations could strain U.S. precision munitions stockpiles and impose long-term financial costs.

Diplomatically, the conflict is exposing fractures among U.S. allies. European governments have so far declined to commit forces to secure the Strait of Hormuz, instead urging a diplomatic resolution even as Washington presses for broader support.

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department has expanded emergency evacuation efforts for American citizens across the region as security conditions continue to deteriorate.

IV. The Implications of a Prolonged Conflict

A long war with Iran would carry far-reaching consequences for the United States, both abroad and at home.

Energy Markets
Disruptions in the Persian Gulf—particularly in the Strait of Hormuz—could drive global energy prices sharply higher, increasing the cost of oil, gasoline, and transportation worldwide.

Domestic Economic Impact
Rising energy prices would likely feed directly into the U.S. economy, contributing to higher inflation, increased costs for goods and services, and added pressure on household budgets. Prolonged conflict spending could also expand the federal deficit, while supply chain disruptions and market volatility could severely impact business investment and consumer confidence. In a sustained crisis, sectors such as shipping, aviation, and manufacturing would be especially vulnerable to cost spikes and uncertainty.

Regional Instability
Iran’s network of allied militias and partner groups across the Middle East raises the risk that fighting could spread beyond a single battlefield, drawing in multiple countries and threatening key trade routes.

Strategic Competition
A prolonged conflict could strain U.S. military resources and attention at a time when Washington is already balancing strategic competition with China and managing tensions with Russia, potentially stretching U.S. global commitments.

Why Iran Is Unlikely to Back Down

Iran’s leadership views confrontation with the United States as a struggle tied directly to the survival of the Islamic Republic.

Backing down under American pressure could undermine the ideological legitimacy of the regime.

Instead, Iranian strategy has historically focused on endurance—absorbing pressure while raising the cost of conflict for its opponents.

In other words, the goal is not necessarily to defeat the United States outright.

It is to outlast it.

Conclusion

Iran’s resistance to U.S. pressure cannot be understood through military comparisons alone.

It is the product of a century of historical grievances, geopolitical competition, and national identity shaped by resistance to foreign influence.

Understanding that history does not require agreement with Iran’s government.

But it does explain why the conflict between Washington and Tehran has proven so persistent—and why it is unlikely to end quickly.

If you value clear, fact-driven analysis grounded in real historical context—not just headlines—then this is the place for you.

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