The U.S. Can’t Defeat Iran With Airstrikes — Is Trump Considering an Atomic Bomb? | John Mearsheimer

The U.S. Can’t Defeat Iran With Airstrikes — Is Trump Considering an Atomic Bomb? | John Mearsheimer In this major geopolitical news analysis, Professor John Mearsheimer examines the fragile standoff between the United States and Iran, warning that a renewed bombing campaign could trigger another dangerous phase of the US-Iran war. While the Trump administration discusses negotiations and a possible nuclear deal, Mearsheimer argues that Washington has very few good military options left. According to Mearsheimer, restarting US airstrikes on Iran would not guarantee victory. Instead, it could destroy diplomatic efforts, end hopes for a new nuclear agreement, and threaten the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran still holds significant leverage: it could retaliate against US military bases and American allies across the Persian Gulf, while renewed disruption to the Strait of Hormuz could send shockwaves through global oil markets and the world economy. The discussion also examines the economic damage already caused by the conflict. Energy facilities across the Gulf have been damaged, oil flows remain vulnerable, and higher food prices and inflation could continue to affect the global economy. Mearsheimer warns that if President Trump returns to a bombing campaign against Iran, the risk of a much larger economic crisis would become very real. Israel and Lebanon are also central to the crisis. Continued Israeli military operations in southern Lebanon could complicate US-Iran negotiations and potentially derail a broader settlement. Iran, Israel, the nuclear issue, sanctions relief, regional security, and the Strait of Hormuz are now deeply interconnected. Mearsheimer’s warning is clear: another US attack on Iran could reopen the war, strengthen Iran’s leverage, destabilize the Middle East, and push the global economy toward a far more dangerous crisis.