Trump’s War on Iran: A Costly Failure That Left the Gulf Paying the Price

The so-called “Epic Fury” war against Iran, initiated by the Trump administration and Israel, has come to a halt after 40 days of relentless violence that achieved nothing but widespread destruction. Despite the bombastic rhetoric of necessity and pre-emption, this conflict was a war of choice, lacking any United Nations mandate or credible legal basis under international law.

Iran’s military and economic infrastructure suffered heavy blows, but Tehran retaliated by closing the Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global energy supplies. The resulting disruption sent shockwaves through markets from Tokyo to Berlin, illustrating how reckless military adventurism can destabilize the global economy.

The ceasefire, brokered by Pakistan, incorporates Iran’s 10-point peace proposal—a framework that demands a formal end to hostilities, lifting of US sanctions, cessation of Israeli attacks in Lebanon, and a permanent guarantee against future aggression. In exchange, Iran commits to reopening the Strait of Hormuz with a transit fee system shared with Oman, designed to fund reconstruction rather than reparations.

This proposal is neither maximalist nor a surrender. It reflects Tehran’s realistic assessment of its leverage and a desire to convert military stalemate into diplomatic gains. Yet it remains unclear how much of this framework the US or Israel has accepted.

The real losers in this conflict are the Gulf states, which absorbed an estimated $350 billion in economic losses due to retaliatory Iranian strikes on regional infrastructure and trade routes. Intelligence warnings about these potential consequences were reportedly ignored by the Trump administration, exposing a reckless disregard for regional stability and the security of America’s supposed allies.

This war, born from Israel’s “zeroing out threats” doctrine and enabled by US military might, underscores the Trump administration’s pattern of using foreign conflict to distract from domestic scandals and consolidate power. The human and economic toll on the Middle East—and the world—makes clear that this was a war nobody won, but everyone paid for.