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Source: https://www.ynetnews.com/opinions-analysis/article/r1lhjahsgx
Iran War Is Not Breaking America, It Is Breaking Tehran
(Ynet News) Sever Plocker - The commentary accompanying each round of fighting between the U.S. and Iran has produced a familiar narrative: Iran has far greater economic and social staying power than the U.S., while the American public is supposedly united against the war. How much of this is supported by the facts? The war has so far cost between 0.2% and 0.3% of the United States' $32 trillion annual GDP, a negligible burden on the U.S. economy. The price of a barrel of oil is also nowhere close to creating global economic chaos. The U.S. is now a major energy exporter, and its oil and gas sector is earning enormous profits from higher prices. Iran cannot survive more than several additional weeks of fighting. Outside the wealthy neighborhoods on Tehran's outskirts, the Islamic Republic is rapidly collapsing. Even subsidized basic goods are rising in price at an annual rate of 180%. In closed briefings, Trump and his closest advisers argue that Iran's leaders are the ones trapped in illusion. Their military has been defeated and largely dismantled, their economy is on its knees, and their society is beginning to fracture, yet they continue to portray themselves as the victors. Those illusions will eventually collapse. For America, the most effective strategy is a controlled war of attrition combined with diplomatic patience.