Trump is at it again: attacking Iran, hyping himself up, and messing with the capital markets

At 9 a.m. Beijing time on Thursday morning, Trump delivered his speech on schedule. The content was 80% self-praise: claiming overwhelming victory over Iran, that nuclear facilities are almost destroyed, and missile capabilities are basically crippled. The remaining 20% was about the real issues: in the next 2-3 weeks, they will step up efforts to bomb power plants, oil fields, and force Iran to negotiate.

The Strait of Hormuz? Trump said: We have more than enough oil, no need. Whoever needs oil can handle it themselves—either buy from us or seize it at the strait.

Iran isn’t backing down either. The president wrote a letter to the American people saying: Don’t be fooled by war propaganda. Are you prioritizing America, or just being Israel’s pawn?

Now both sides think they have the advantage and refuse to back down first. But the American people are fed up—oil prices have risen to $4 per gallon, inflation support rate is only 28%, and millions are protesting. Iran can’t defeat the U.S. military, but it can push up oil prices, hurting Americans’ wallets.

In the coming weeks, power plants, water plants, and oil fields might all be bombed. The Middle East might really regress to an era of candlelight and fetching water. As for the capital markets, they’ve already taken