"Growing Doubts by US and Israel
About the War with Iran"
by Larry C. Johnson
"Despite bold claims from Donald Trump and his Secretary of War that Iran has lost the war and is on the cusp of surrendering, Iran has not got the memo and continues an unrelenting wave of a drone and missile attacks on US targets in the Persian Gulf and on targets throughout Israel. During an interview with CBS News, Donald Trump stated that the “military operation” against Iran is actually completed. He said: "I think the war, by and large, is over. They [the Iranian side] have no fleet, no communications, no aviation left."
In private, however, Trump’s advisers have urged him privately to look for an exit plan from the Iran war amid spiking oil prices and concerns that a prolonged conflict could spark political backlash, according to WSJ. Officials close to the president are urging him to start outlining an exit strategy from the conflict while portraying the military campaign as having largely achieved its goals. Discussions in Washington are increasingly focused on declaring success and shifting toward a controlled withdrawal before the economic and political costs rise further.
I think this explains why President Trump called Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin has provided a readout of a recent phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin that occurred on March 9, 2026 (Monday) and lasted about one hour. It was described by Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov as “frank,” “businesslike,” “constructive,” and “serious.” The conversation was initiated by Trump. The primary focus of the call was the US and Israeli war with Iran, with Putin sharing proposals for a “quick political and diplomatic settlement.” This included references to his prior contacts with Gulf state leaders, Iran’s president, and others.
This does not mean that President Putin is going to pull the rug out from under Iran. I believe that Putin has two goals: 1) Keep the war from spreading, and 2) Secure an agreement that will remove economic sanctions from Iran and guarantee it will not face future attacks from the US and Israel.
Trump and his national security advisors are laboring under the false belief that Iran is running out of missiles. While the US military is celebrating the destruction of missile launchers, Iran is relying on buried launchers that fire their more advanced missiles from hidden tunnels. I believe that Iran will adopt a tough unyielding stance when it comes to negotiations… Demand an end to all economic sanctions and the withdrawal of US military forces from the Persian Gulf. While the US is likely to reject those demands - at least for now - Iran is prepared to continue its attacks and is likely to introduce a new, more sophisticated missile to the fray in the coming days.
Trump is not alone with the growing doubts about the possible success of US and Israeli strikes on Iran. Israel’s confidence is fading. According to David Ignatius, writing in the Washington Post: "A few senior officials in Israel are starting to voice concern about the escalating, open-ended attack on Iran - and suggesting possible exit ramps that might halt the war before it further damages the region and the global economy..."
What concerns this official and others I’ve spoken with the past few days is that the cost of the war continues to rise - for gulf states pounded by Iranian missiles, for a global economy that’s facing steep increases in oil and natural gas prices that could trigger a worldwide economic crisis, and for Trump himself, who took the United States to war without a popular base of support for the conflict. “I’m not sure it’s in our interest to fight until the regime is toppled,” said the Israeli official. “Nobody wants a never-ending story.”
Oil futures spiked early on Monday - reaching a priceof $120 - and then fell back to around $100 following remarks from Trump that led traders to believe the shutdown of oil flowing from the Persian Gulf could be short-lived. I think there is a lot of denial on Wall Street and among Trump’s most rabid supporters… They believe that Iran’s missile inventory is rapidly depleting and that there are cracks among the Iranian political and military leaders. I believe they are grossly misreading the situation. Iran is not close to depleting its supply of powerful, sophisticated ballistic missiles. Most Americans fail to understand that Iran’s outrage over the 28 February surprise attack is comparable to the fury that seized the United States in the wake of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor and the 9-11 attacks in 2001. Iran will continue to attack US and Israeli targets and will not stop until the security of Iran - both economic and military - is secured. Judge Napolitano and I discussed the latest developments in the war with Iran:
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