Trump Doesn’t Even Know What Victory Over Iran Would Mean
Donald Trump has begun suggesting that his war on Iran may be over “very soon” as oil prices soar. Trump will proclaim victory no matter what happens, but he won’t be able to say what “victory” means, let alone persuade anyone else that he succeeded.
No matter how it ends, the end result is not going to be anything positive for the standing of the US in the world. (Roberto Schmidt / Getty Images)
Afshin Matin-Asgari is a professor of Middle East history at California State University, Los Angeles, and the author of Axis of Empire: A History of Iran–US Relations. He spoke to Jacobin about the US-Israeli war on Iran, discussing its impact on the Iranian people, the end goals that Israel and the Trump administration may have in mind, and the way the war is likely to end.
This is an edited transcript from Jacobin’s Long Reads podcast. You can listen to the interview here.
Daniel Finn
You’ve just published a book about the history of relations between the United States and Iran, which appeared shortly before Donald Trump launched this attack in alliance with Israel. How would you situate the US-Israeli war against the long-term historical background? How much of a departure does it represent from the previous pattern of US-Iranian relations?
Afshin Matin-Asgari
This article is for subscribers only. Please login or subscribe to access our full archives and beautiful print and digital magazine starting at just $3 a month.