This interview is also available on podcast platforms and Rumble.
The United States recently launched a new offensive against Iran, “Operation Economic Outcast,” asking countries around the world to participate in a massive economic blockade. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is threatening to punish any country that is unwilling to comply with secondary economic sanctions. Many people view this latest US strategy as a Hail Mary Pass.
To discuss the possible outcome of the US’s economic war, and the impetus for it, John Mearsheimer, a former Air Force captain, professor of political science and author, returns to The Chris Hedges Report.
Mearsheimer explains that the United States has lost on each of the four military objectives it laid out before waging this war on Iran. The result, Mearsheimer says, is “a complete flip-flop here in terms of who has the most coercive military leverage, and it’s the Iranians who do.” He calls the June Memorandum of Understanding signed by President Trump a “surrender document” and characterizes the war on Iran as “the greatest strategic blunder that the United States has ever made.”
In addition to military losses, the United States has ruined its reputation on the global stage and has lost historic allies. The world views the United States as a bully and, and as Mearsheimer says, is waiting to see its “get its nose badly bloodied.” They view the United States and Israel as rogue states that are deeply connected to each other. In this scenario, Iran emerges as the lesser evil.
With Iran imposing the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and then the Bab el Mandab Strait, the US war on Iran threatens a global economic collapse leading to inflation and shortages of food and fuel later this year. The obvious way to avoid this catastrophe is to end the war, which would require the United States to make significant concessions to Iran. Mearsheimer concludes, “…if this war or crisis goes on and on, it could end up leaving President Trump as President Hoover, which he doesn’t want to do.”
President Trump Makes An Announcement And Signs Executive Order From The Oval Office
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 05: U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent (C) speaks as U.S. President Donald Trump announces plans to host the 2026 G20 summit in Miami, Florida during a press availability in the Oval Office of the White House on September 05, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump detailed his administration’s plans to host the 2026 Group of 20 summit of world leaders at his golf course and spa in Doral, Florida. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
President Trump Meets With Visiting Israeli PM Netanyahu At The White House
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 07: U.S. President Donald Trump greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he arrives at the White House on April 07, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump is meeting with Netanyahu to discuss ongoing efforts to release Israeli hostages from Gaza and newly imposed U.S. tariffs. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Israel Launches Strikes Against Iran
TEHRAN, IRAN - JUNE 13: The view from a living room of a residential building that was destroyed in an attack by Israel on June 13, 2025 in Tehran, Iran. Early this morning, Iran was hit by a series of Israeli airstrikes targeting military and nuclear sites, as well as top military officials. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)
Russians Celebrate 80th Anniversary Of The Victory Day In Moscow
MOSCOW, RUSSIA - MAY 9 (RUSSIA OUT) Russian President Vladimir Putin (C) talks to Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) as President of Equatorial Guinea Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo (R) looks on during the wreath laying ceremony to the Unknown Soldies’ Tomb, marking the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi’s Germany, May 9, 2025 in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images)
Iranian Revolution
A group of men carrying arms and ammunitions raise their hands victoriously while driving around the city after having looted army garrisons in the late afternoon on the victory day of the Iranian Revolution in Tehran, Iran, 11th February 1979. (Photo by Kaveh Kazemi/Getty Images)
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In this picture obtained from Iran’s ISNA news agency and taken on May 2, 2026, the Gambia-flagged tanker vessel Bili is pictured anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on May 4 denied that any commercial ships had crossed the Strait of Hormuz, after the US military earlier said two US-flagged merchant vessels had transited through the vital waterway. (Photo by Amirhossein KHORGOOEI / ISNA / AFP via Getty Images) /
First Inflation Report Of 2025 Released
AUSTIN, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 12: A customer shops for produce at an H-E-B grocery store on February 12, 2025 in Austin, Texas. The Labor Department is expected to report today on January prices as measured by the consumer-price index, with a separate report on wholesale prices delivered tomorrow. (Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
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US President Donald Trump and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth listen to questions from the press during a Cabinet meeting at Camp David in Maryland, on July 31, 2026. (Photo by Aaron Schwartz / AFP via Getty Images)
Senators Speak To The Press Following Policy Luncheons On Capitol Hill
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 24: Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent speaks to reporters during the weekly luncheons at Capitol Hill on June 24, 2025 in Washington, DC. Secretary Bessent spoke on the current situation in the Middle East with Israel and Iran, along with the ongoing One Big Beautiful Bill Act in Congress. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
zU.S. Conducts Blockade Operations Near Strait Of Hormuz
ARABIAN SEA - APRIL 16: (EDITOR’S NOTE: This Handout image was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images’ editorial policy.) USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) conducts U.S. blockade operations related to the Strait of Hormuz on April 16, 2026 in the Arabian Sea. The ship’s embarked carrier air wing includes eight F-35C stealth fighters, F/A-18 fighter jets, EA-18G electronic attack aircraft, E-2D command and control planes, MH-60 helicopters and CMV-22B Ospreys for logistics support. (Handout Photo by the U.S. Navy via Getty Images)
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Smoke rises from an area in the direction of Al Udeid Air Base, which houses the Qatar Emiri Air Force and foreign forces including the US, in Doha on February 28, 2026, following a reported Iranian strike. The United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28, with Israel’s public broadcaster reporting that supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been targeted, as the Islamic republic retaliated with barrages of missiles at Gulf states and Israel. (Photo by Mahmud HAMS / AFP via Getty Images
ISRAEL-IRAN-CONFLICT
The Israeli flag flutters in front of a destroyed building at the site of an Iranian missile attack in Ramat Gan in central Israel near Tel Aviv, on June 19, 2025. A hospital in southern Israel was hit during a barrage of “dozens” of Iranian missiles on June 19, officials said, while another impact was reported by emergency services in the Tel Aviv area. (Photo by Ahmad GHARABLI / AFP) (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images)
Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth Holds Pentagon Press Conference On Iran Strikes
ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA - JUNE 26: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon on June 26, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. Top officials from the Department of Defense gave an update after three Iranian nuclear facilities were struck by the U.S. military last weekend and Iran countered by launching missiles at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
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Members of the Israeli security forces check the apparent remains of an Iranian ballistic missile lying on the ground on the outskirts of Qatzrin, Golan Heights, Israel, on Monday, June 23, 2025. (Photo by Michael Giladi / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by MICHAEL GILADI/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
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TOPSHOT - A US airforce OA-10 airplane passes near a Patriot PAC-2 missile system at the South Korean airforce base in Suwon 18 September 2003. The United States is upgrading its missile defense capabilities in South Korea as part of an 11 billion dollar plan to beef up its deterrence against North Korea. AFP PHOTO/CHOI JAE-KU (Photo by CHOI JAE-KU / AFP) (Photo by CHOI JAE-KU/AFP via Getty Images)
U.S. President Trump Visits USS George Washington In Japan
YOKOSUKA, JAPAN - OCTOBER 28: Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi reacts to a compliment by U.S. President Donald Trump as they arrive aboard USS George Washington at Fleet Activities Yokosuka on October 28, 2025 in Yokosuka, Japan. Trump is visiting Japan, fresh off an appearance at the ASEAN summit in Malaysia, and will next travel to South Korea for the APEC meetings. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
TOPSHOT-IRAQ-US-OILFIELDS-SMOKE-SOLDIERS
TOPSHOT - U.S. soldiers from 1st Marine Expedition Force patrol a road as heavy black smoke from a burning oil well drifts past at the Rumaila Oilfields March 23, 2003 in Iraq. Several oil wells have been set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops in the Rumaila area, the second largest offshore oilfield in the country, near the Kuwaiti border. US and British forces have requested Kuwaiti help to extinguish some oil wells in Iraq, torched as coalition forces advanced into the country, a Kuwaiti official said in remarks published 23 March. AFP PHOTO/ Ian WALDIE (Photo by IAN WALDIE / POOL / AFP) (Photo by IAN WALDIE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
IAEA Board Of Governors Meets To Discuss Situation In Iran
VIENNA, AUSTRIA - JUNE 23: Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), arrives for an IAEA Board of Governors meeting at the IAEA headquarters on June 23, 2025 in Vienna, Austria. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors is convening a meeting at the agency’s headquarters to discuss the situation in Iran, following strikes by the United States on June 22, which targeted nuclear facilities in Iran. (Photo by Christian Bruna/Getty Images)
Israeli Head of Mossad David Barnea (Dadi) attends the
HOLON, ISRAEL - 2025/05/12: Israeli Head of Mossad David Barnea (Dadi) attends the funeral of Sgt first class Zvi Feldman at the military cemetery. Hundreds gathered at the Holon military cemetery to pay their respects to Sgt. First Class Zvi Feldman whose body was repatriated more than four decades after he went missing during the 1982 Israel Lebanon war. His remains were located in the heart of Syria during a special operation by the IDF in coordination with the Mossad intelligence agency. (Photo by Eyal Warshavsky/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Arab League Summit in Amman, Jordan on November 11, 1987.
JORDAN - NOVEMBER 11: Saddam Hussein in Amman, Jordan on November 11, 1987. (Photo by Chip HIRES/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
SAUDI-YEMEN-CONFLICT-ENERGY-ARAMCO
This picture taken on November 24, 2020 shows a view of a damaged silo at the Saudi Aramco oil facility in Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea city of Jeddah. - Yemen’s Huthi rebels launched a missile attack on the facility on November 23, triggering an explosion and a fire in a fuel tank, officials said. (Photo by Fayez Nureldine / AFP) (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images)
Ukrainian Farmers Harvest New Wheat Crops Whilst War Blocks Exports
MYRONIVKA, UKRAINE - JULY 29: A stork flies above a wheat field as a combine harvester of TVK Seed agricultural company harvests wheat on July 29, 2022 not far from Myronivka, Ukraine. Commodity exports from Ukraine, one of the world’s largest producers of wheat, corn and vegetable-oil, have been stalled since the Russian invasion on February 24 affected important port infrastructures. (Photo by Alexey Furman/Getty Images)
UKRAINE-RUSSIA-CONFLICT
Journalists and residents stand as smoke rises after an attack by Russian army in Odessa, on April 3, 2022. - Air strikes rocked Ukraine’s strategic Black Sea port Odessa early Sunday morning, according to an interior ministry official, after Kyiv had warned that Russia was trying to consolidate its troops in the south. (Photo by BULENT KILIC / AFP) (Photo by BULENT KILIC/AFP via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT-UAE-IRAN-ISRAEL-US-WAR
TOPSHOT - A plume of black smoke rises from an ongoing fire near fuel depots at the port of Fujairah in the gulf emirate of Fujairah on March 4, 2026. Iran’s strikes on Gulf neighbours since February 28, following the US-Israeli attack, forced the UAE to shut its airspace, blindsiding travellers who thought they were headed to one of the region’s safest holiday destinations. (Photo by Fadel SENNA / AFP via Getty Images)
Recep Tayyip Erdogan - Benjamin Netanyahu meeting in New York
NEW YORK, UNITED STATES - SEPTEMBER 19: (----EDITORIAL USE ONLY - MANDATORY CREDIT - ‘TURKISH PRESIDENCY / MURAT CETINMUHURDAR / HANDOUT’ - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS----) Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) who is in New York for the 78th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, receives Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (L) at the Turkish House in New York, United States on September 19, 2023. (Photo by TUR Presidency/ Murat Cetinmuhurdar / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT-ISRAEL-US-PALESTINIAN-CONFLICT
TOPSHOT - US President Joe Biden (L) listens to Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he joins a meeting of the Israeli war cabinet in Tel Aviv on October 18, 2023, amid the ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT-ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN-CONFLICT
TOPSHOT - This picture taken from Israel’s southern border with the Gaza Strip shows Israeli army battle tank at a position along the border with the Palestinian territory on March 19, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the militant group Hamas. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)
The Invasion of Iran is just the final incompetence in the epic failure of an empire founded, built and perpetuated upon a tradition of grotesque depraved European agression, ignorance and greed .
The Biggest Strategic Blunder in US History is in having founded this nation on continued slavery, and on the betrayal of those of the Iroquois tribes that fought by our side for liberation from the British - AND who provided us a model of a true democracy :
Followed by the continued mass murder and displacement of all the other indigenous of the Americas , with whom we could have built an incredibly amazing, true and powerful democracy !!!
The US is imploding upon its own corrupt rotten core .
It's not and has never been a "blunder" ... it is and it remains a T E R R O R I S T
campaign - genocide and ethnic cleansing and resource plundering - ordered by Israeli money.