Donald Trump is in a state of panic. Israel is in a state of panic. Those who spent years

egging on a war with Iran are in a state of panic. They're in a state of panic because they

realize they've lost the war with Iran. They've shattered US power. But they're unable to come

to terms with a total humiliation, not just for them personally, not just for their political

projects, but for US power and indeed

the power of Israel. That's why Donald Trump is now zigzagging all over the place, edging towards a deal,

abandoning a deal, bombing Iran again. That's why Iran is bragging about the Middle East,

no longer being a safe haven for the US military bases. Let's just consider what's been happening.

Donald Trump was moving towards a deal with Iran, which would be worse from the American

point of view than the deal that Barack Obama negotiated in 2015, the Joint Comprehensive

Plan of Action, which Trump despised and indeed ripped up, which limited its nuclear program

in return for sanctions relief.

In practice, Iran is emerging stronger, much, much stronger,

while US power has dramatically declined. Don't take my word for it. No, do. Listen to the former

aide to Benjamin Netanyahu, Eddie Grona. He's in fact the former Director General of Netanyahu's

office. It's worth just be reading this in full.

Many will say that Iran emerged stronger from the war. They will point to more extreme leadership, to the fact that the revolutionary guards are now the true centre of gravity,

and to the fact that the US is blinking in the face of them. All of this is true. But there is

something far more serious. Iran has proven that it is capable of instilling

fear in the global economy and order through the threat to the Strait of Hamas, one of the

world's critical energy arteries. And the moment the world begins to treat Iran's ability

to close Hamas as a veto, that policy must be managed around, the implication is that Iran is

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