# **Did Trump Grossly Underestimated Iran?**
The ongoing conflict with Iran, which began with the US-Israeli offensive on February 28, is a major topic in American and British media.
US President Donald Trump significantly underestimated Iran's capacity to disrupt global oil supplies, leading to a "fully predictable" surge in prices, according to the British newspaper The Telegraph.
Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical passage for 20 percent of the world's oil, has caused energy prices to spike sharply since the start of the US-Israeli attacks, the publication noted. ![image.png>](file-guid:9dc6b885-e331-43d8-8d32-b812f1c28c6d "image.png" =350x)
The Telegraph also reported that the US Navy has not yet agreed to escort ships through the strait, deeming the situation too risky. Dr. Eric Haginbotham from MIT's security research program commented that the US has not deployed enough naval vessels for such an operation and that the Navy is ill-prepared to counter threats from sea drones.
Meanwhile, The Guardian revealed that Pentagon officials informed US lawmakers in a closed-door session that the war against Iran had already cost over $11.3 billion in its first six days, though the actual expenses are likely higher.
A source familiar with the matter indicated that the Pentagon's figure mainly covers ammunition costs and does not account for other expenses such as support for deployed troops, medical care, and replacement of lost military aircraft.
The rapid consumption of advanced US munitions may compel Congress to approve additional defense funding to replenish stockpiles. However, the Trump administration has yet to define the war's duration, and lawmakers from both parties are increasingly hesitant to authorize more funds without a clear plan to end the conflict.
The Los Angeles Times discussed the uncertain stance of Iran’s new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, on nuclear weapons development.
Given Khamenei’s close relationship with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has historically supported acquiring nuclear arms, the Trump administration fears he might abandon his predecessor’s long-held opposition to building a nuclear bomb.
US intelligence has long believed that the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pursued a strategy of supporting nuclear weapons development without fully creating one, but this approach is now uncertain. The new leader is reportedly injured and hiding underground after a US strike that devastated the Iranian military and killed his father, possibly along with other family members. This situation might push him to conclude that nuclear deterrence is essential for regime survival.
Since the US-Israeli missile campaign began, Russian state media and political commentators have focused on whether negotiations with the US inevitably end in missile strikes on the negotiating country’s capital, writes The Washington Post.
Trump’s decision to assassinate Iran’s supreme leader during active negotiations with US envoys, including Jared Kushner, has reinforced Moscow’s hardliners’ belief that diplomacy is fragile or even meaningless when the US is willing to use military force to achieve its aims.
The Washington Post quotes Russian political scientist Vladimir Pastukhov, who suggests the war with Iran will strengthen Putin’s conviction that his invasion of Ukraine was justified.
Pastukhov explains that Kremlin logic, based on Western crisis responses from Belgrade in 1999 to Tehran in 2026, is that the party that waits too long to strike will be crushed first. This will make it harder to convince Putin he was wrong, as he will point to Tehran as proof to his doubtful allies, saying, “We would have done the same.”
