Mr. Trump is currently considering two actions that would almost certainly require ground action by American or Israeli forces: Taking over Kharg Island, where Iran loads most of the oil it produces onto tankers, and the underground site at Isfahan where it stores most of its 970 pounds of near-bomb-grade nuclear fuel. Mr. Trump told reporters that he was unconcerned that such moves could commit U.S. forces to a Vietnam-like boondoggle in Iran. “I’m really not afraid of that,” he told reporters. “I’m really not afraid of anything.”

Trump Says U.S. Does Not ‘Need or Desire’ Help From Allies on Iran

President Trump has faced mounting criticism over the U.S.-Israeli assault on Iran from allies and even members of his own administration.

By Karoun Demirjian and David E. Sanger

Reporting from Washington

Despite President Donald Trump’s blustering that America benefits when oil prices surge, crunch time is fast approaching for both the war and the energy market. He either ends the conflict quickly, or sky-high energy costs will force him to do so. The oil market may not have the same fearsome reputation as the bond market but, trust me, it can be equally savage in twisting a politician’s arm.

 

The White House's Oil-Restraint Toolbox Is Empty

March 13, 2026 at 12:00 AM EDT

Updated on 

March 13, 2026 at 3:00 AM EDT

By Javier Blas

Javier Blas is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering energy and commodities. He is coauthor of “The World for Sale: Money, Power and the Traders Who Barter the Earth’s Resources.”

When the first cruise missiles began detonating inside Iran, the strikes had all the hallmarks of previous successful US military campaigns — unstoppable, overwhelming force delivered without warning. But as the conflict extends toward a third week, the US war effort is showing unexpected signs of strain against an adversary whose military budget is smaller than the GDP of Vermont — but which has an arsenal of missiles and drones unlike anything the US has ever faced.

 

Iran’s Cheap, Plentiful Weaponry Puts US Military Under Unprecedented Strain

As the conflict extends toward a third week, an arsenal of attack drones and ballistic missiles has helped make Tehran unlike any adversary the US has faced.

By Gerry Doyle, Jen Judson, Courtney McBride and Becca Wasser - Bloomberg Economics March 10, 2026 at 5:38 PM EDT

Does Trump have a special-forces raid set up to retrieve the enriched uranium left behind from the last raid? Otherwise why did he bother?

 

The Nuclear Job in Iran Isn’t Finished

By

The WSJ Editorial Board

The wall Street Journal's Editorial board has lost its mind stating "The reality inside Iran and the region is that the U.S. and Israel continue to make progress. The regime loses more of its military each day, along with the ability to hurt its neighbors. The Israelis estimate 70% to 75% of Iran’s missile launchers have been destroyed, and the U.S. has destroyed at least 43 Iranian ships." as if that was going to change the direction of a quagmire the U.S. getting deeper into with no end game obejctive articulated.

 

Iran Isn’t Winning This War

 

Wall Street Journal's editorial board doesn't recognize Trump isn't winning this war either

The potential human, economic and geopolitical costs of this demolition derby are harrowing and perilous, but none of it should be surprising. “NO PLAN” could be fashioned into a billboard fixed atop the 90,000-square-foot ballroom Trump wants to attach to the White House. And his hasty, tumultuous and open-ended prosecution of the Iran war thus far is entirely in character. The president — as heir to a sizable fortune, haphazard developer, dysfunctional casino impresario, reality TV curiosity, ubiquitous self-promoter and tectonic political force — has spent most of his nearly 80 years flying without maps.

 

Trump Has Never Been a Planner, and in War That’s Deadly

March 12, 2026 at 5:00 AM EDT

By Timothy L O'Brien

Timothy L. O'Brien is senior executive editor of Bloomberg Opinion. A former editor and reporter for the New York Times, he is author of “TrumpNation: The Art of Being the Donald.”

Iran is demonstrating every day that the killing of the country’s supreme leader at the beginning of the war has not totally crippled its ability to fight, the officials and military experts said. Iran, they said, is not acting like a decapitated regime.

Iranian Military Shows It Knows How to Adapt, U.S. Officials Say

Iran appears to be targeting what it views as American vulnerabilities, including air defenses meant to guard troops and assets in the region.

By Helene Cooper and Eric Schmitt

Reporting from Washington

March 10, 2026