CAN ISRAEL & THE U.S. SUSTAIN IRAN’S MILITARY POWER?

By Scheerpost - Chris Hedges - March 8, 2026

The Iran War has just begun — but already, Iran’s military prowess, and America’s and Israel’s impulsive imperial hubris, is on full display.

While the official White House X account posts video montages featuring video games and Hollywood movies spliced with real footage of their attacks on Iran, the situation on the ground could not be more different than an American propaganda blockbuster.

To pierce the fog of war and offer a concrete analysis of what is taking place across the Middle East, author and former British diplomat Alastair Crooke of the Substack Conflicts Forum joins host Chris Hedges on this episode of The Chris Hedges Report.

Iran’s military power has seen the depletion of Israeli defensive interceptor missiles, the destruction of billion-dollar American radar systems and the diligent preparation of the Iranian leadership — Crooke explains these losses of the hegemonic West and their ally in Tel Aviv is what’s shaping the reality of the unfolding war.

“The Iranians say they also have newer missiles, which they will show and unfold at a later stage. They haven’t reached that stage yet, but that is waiting to be used and deployed at the right moment. They’re quite comfortable that they have huge missile stocks that they can continue for a long war,” Crooke tells Hedges.

Crooke also touches on the wider implications this war will have on the region, in particular, the Gulf states that have been subservient to American and Israeli interests and subject to attacks since the war began. “The Gulf used to be known and thought of as a safe place for businessmen, for investors and others and that — AI, holidays, airliners, tourism, etcetera… That’s finished.”

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Editor Remarks.

As you may have seen from our previous news posts on Iran, they have already destroyed Israels billion dollar radar-dome and have destroyed large areas of Israel. 300.000 people has been ordered to move to other areas. Their fleet of latest jet-fighters are located underground hangars and their black silhouettes painted on the airport surface. If they have any nuclear missiles, they are surely also underground in various locations. These people are not beginners.