{"id":174631,"date":"2026-03-08T08:10:24","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T16:10:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174631"},"modified":"2026-03-13T12:48:34","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T20:48:34","slug":"decoding-the-iran-war-3-8-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174631","title":{"rendered":"Decoding The Iran War (3-8-26)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/69WDWtn-r8o?si=bE16hH63FOrKkVSo\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p> <a title=\"Click to play at 01:00\" class=\"ln-clickable-timestamp\" href=\"#60\" data-action=\"episode-seek-audio\" data-timestamp=\"60\">01:00<\/a> Iran\u2019s Grand Strategy: A Political History (2025), <a href=\"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174561\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174561<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Click to play at 11:20\" class=\"ln-clickable-timestamp\" href=\"#680\" data-action=\"episode-seek-audio\" data-timestamp=\"680\">11:20<\/a> Vali Nasr Exclusive: &#8216;War is being waged &#8216;: Vali Nasr on Israel-US campaign against Iran<br \/><a title=\"Click to play at 25:00\" class=\"ln-clickable-timestamp\" href=\"#1500\" data-action=\"episode-seek-audio\" data-timestamp=\"1500\">25:00<\/a> The First Gulf War, <a href=\"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174605\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174605<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Click to play at 28:00\" class=\"ln-clickable-timestamp\" href=\"#1680\" data-action=\"episode-seek-audio\" data-timestamp=\"1680\">28:00<\/a> Understanding The Elite Frame On The Iran War, <a href=\"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174625\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174625<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Click to play at 35:00\" class=\"ln-clickable-timestamp\" href=\"#2100\" data-action=\"episode-seek-audio\" data-timestamp=\"2100\">35:00<\/a> Mark Halperin: Trump\u2019s Iran Strategy Explained, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=fPUwk2I7hO8\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=fPUwk2I7hO8<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Click to play at 40:00\" class=\"ln-clickable-timestamp\" href=\"#2400\" data-action=\"episode-seek-audio\" data-timestamp=\"2400\">40:00<\/a> Why Different Groups View The Iran War Differently, <a href=\"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174619\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174619<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Click to play at 47:00\" class=\"ln-clickable-timestamp\" href=\"#2820\" data-action=\"episode-seek-audio\" data-timestamp=\"2820\">47:00<\/a> You Don\u2019t Win Wars Through Logic &amp; Rhetoric, <a href=\"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174615\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174615<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Click to play at 50:00\" class=\"ln-clickable-timestamp\" href=\"#3000\" data-action=\"episode-seek-audio\" data-timestamp=\"3000\">50:00<\/a> When American Presidents Tell You To Rise Up, <a href=\"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174612\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174612<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Click to play at 53:00\" class=\"ln-clickable-timestamp\" href=\"#3180\" data-action=\"episode-seek-audio\" data-timestamp=\"3180\">53:00<\/a> Why do elites love the word \u2018dialogue\u2019?, <a href=\"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174610\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174610<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Click to play at 55:00\" class=\"ln-clickable-timestamp\" href=\"#3300\" data-action=\"episode-seek-audio\" data-timestamp=\"3300\">55:00<\/a> Does Iran need to unconditionally surrender<br \/><a title=\"Click to play at 1:39:00\" class=\"ln-clickable-timestamp\" href=\"#5940\" data-action=\"episode-seek-audio\" data-timestamp=\"5940\">1:39:00<\/a> Richard Haass: \u2018America chose this war \u2014 and must now choose how to end it\u2019, <a href=\"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174601\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174601<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Click to play at 1:46:00\" class=\"ln-clickable-timestamp\" href=\"#6360\" data-action=\"episode-seek-audio\" data-timestamp=\"6360\">1:46:00<\/a> Why do elites argue that Iran\u2019s war plans are super rational and coolly calculating while Trump\u2019s plans are impulsive and crazy? <a href=\"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174592\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174592<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Click to play at 1:59:00\" class=\"ln-clickable-timestamp\" href=\"#7140\" data-action=\"episode-seek-audio\" data-timestamp=\"7140\">1:59:00<\/a> Why Do Elites Love The Word \u2018Fraught\u2019?, <a href=\"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174599\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174599<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Click to play at 2:02:00\" class=\"ln-clickable-timestamp\" href=\"#7320\" data-action=\"episode-seek-audio\" data-timestamp=\"7320\">2:02:00<\/a> Why Do Elites Love The Word \u2018Metastasized\u2019?, <a href=\"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174597\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174597<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Click to play at 2:06:30\" class=\"ln-clickable-timestamp\" href=\"#7590\" data-action=\"episode-seek-audio\" data-timestamp=\"7590\">2:06:30<\/a> NYT: In War\u2019s First Week, a Punishing Military Campaign With No Coherent Endgame, <a href=\"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174581\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174581<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Click to play at 2:28:00\" class=\"ln-clickable-timestamp\" href=\"#8880\" data-action=\"episode-seek-audio\" data-timestamp=\"8880\">2:28:00<\/a> Why Has Trump Gone To War With Iran? | Christiane Amanpour Presents, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=-CFVlQ8ftVo\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=-CFVlQ8ftVo<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Click to play at 2:30:00\" class=\"ln-clickable-timestamp\" href=\"#9000\" data-action=\"episode-seek-audio\" data-timestamp=\"9000\">2:30:00<\/a> Journos Take Public Pronouncements Too Seriously, <a href=\"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174460\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174460<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Click to play at 2:31:00\" class=\"ln-clickable-timestamp\" href=\"#9060\" data-action=\"episode-seek-audio\" data-timestamp=\"9060\">2:31:00<\/a> When The Search For Meaning Leads To War, <a href=\"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174445\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174445<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Click to play at 2:37:45\" class=\"ln-clickable-timestamp\" href=\"#9465\" data-action=\"episode-seek-audio\" data-timestamp=\"9465\">2:37:45<\/a> Decoding CNN\u2019s Christiane Amanpour, <a href=\"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174479\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174479<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Click to play at 2:38:30\" class=\"ln-clickable-timestamp\" href=\"#9510\" data-action=\"episode-seek-audio\" data-timestamp=\"9510\">2:38:30<\/a> Richard Haass says Iran is not losing, <a href=\"https:\/\/politicalitems.substack.com\/p\/is-iran-not-losing\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/politicalitems.substack.com\/p\/is-iran-not-losing<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Click to play at 2:40:00\" class=\"ln-clickable-timestamp\" href=\"#9600\" data-action=\"episode-seek-audio\" data-timestamp=\"9600\">2:40:00<\/a> \u2018The last thing the Middle East needed was another war\u2019, <a href=\"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174458\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174458<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Click to play at 2:43:00\" class=\"ln-clickable-timestamp\" href=\"#9780\" data-action=\"episode-seek-audio\" data-timestamp=\"9780\">2:43:00<\/a> Industrial Policy for the United States: Winning the Competition for Good Jobs and High-Value Industries (2024), <a href=\"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174500\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174500<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Click to play at 2:47:00\" class=\"ln-clickable-timestamp\" href=\"#10020\" data-action=\"episode-seek-audio\" data-timestamp=\"10020\">2:47:00<\/a> Is It Truth Or BS?, <a href=\"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174491\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174491<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Click to play at 2:49:30\" class=\"ln-clickable-timestamp\" href=\"#10170\" data-action=\"episode-seek-audio\" data-timestamp=\"10170\">2:49:30<\/a> Decoding My Life, <a href=\"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=169794\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=169794<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Click to play at 2:53:00\" class=\"ln-clickable-timestamp\" href=\"#10380\" data-action=\"episode-seek-audio\" data-timestamp=\"10380\">2:53:00<\/a> Everything shocking and big requires fuel, <a href=\"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174472\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174472<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Click to play at 2:56:00\" class=\"ln-clickable-timestamp\" href=\"#10560\" data-action=\"episode-seek-audio\" data-timestamp=\"10560\">2:56:00<\/a> Decoding Washington Post Columnist David Ignatius, <a href=\"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174429\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174429<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Click to play at 3:11:00\" class=\"ln-clickable-timestamp\" href=\"#11460\" data-action=\"episode-seek-audio\" data-timestamp=\"11460\">3:11:00<\/a> Where Is The Expert Herd Going On The Iran War?, <a href=\"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174447\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174447<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Click to play at 3:13:00\" class=\"ln-clickable-timestamp\" href=\"#11580\" data-action=\"episode-seek-audio\" data-timestamp=\"11580\">3:13:00<\/a> Why Do Elites Love Dubai?, <a href=\"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174467\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174467<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Click to play at 3:15:00\" class=\"ln-clickable-timestamp\" href=\"#11700\" data-action=\"episode-seek-audio\" data-timestamp=\"11700\">3:15:00<\/a> Where Will It Stop?, <a href=\"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174464\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174464<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Click to play at 3:18:00\" class=\"ln-clickable-timestamp\" href=\"#11880\" data-action=\"episode-seek-audio\" data-timestamp=\"11880\">3:18:00<\/a> Can Iran Kill Americans At Scale?, <a href=\"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174505\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174505<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Click to play at 3:22:00\" class=\"ln-clickable-timestamp\" href=\"#12120\" data-action=\"episode-seek-audio\" data-timestamp=\"12120\">3:22:00<\/a> Why do elites and journos love the word \u2018predicate\u2019?, <a href=\"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174396\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174396<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Click to play at 3:26:00\" class=\"ln-clickable-timestamp\" href=\"#12360\" data-action=\"episode-seek-audio\" data-timestamp=\"12360\">3:26:00<\/a> War With Iran: Why Now and What Comes Next, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=8ORmcvFYU68\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=8ORmcvFYU68<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Click to play at 3:27:00\" class=\"ln-clickable-timestamp\" href=\"#12420\" data-action=\"episode-seek-audio\" data-timestamp=\"12420\">3:27:00<\/a> Decoding Iran Expert Suzanne Maloney, <a href=\"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174388\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174388<\/a><br \/><a title=\"Click to play at 3:36:00\" class=\"ln-clickable-timestamp\" href=\"#12960\" data-action=\"episode-seek-audio\" data-timestamp=\"12960\">3:36:00<\/a> Why does the MSM fetishize \u201cseriousness\u201d and dismiss Trump\u2019s team for lack thereof?, <a href=\"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174363\" rel=\"nofollow\">https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174363<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>01:00 Iran\u2019s Grand Strategy: A Political History (2025), https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=17456111:20 Vali Nasr Exclusive: &#8216;War is being waged &#8216;: Vali Nasr on Israel-US campaign against Iran25:00 The First Gulf War, https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=17460528:00 Understanding The Elite Frame On The Iran War, https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=17462535:00 Mark Halperin: &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/?p=174631\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16281,43144,42911,183],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-174631","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-college","category-blob","category-elites","category-iran"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174631","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=174631"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174631\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":175515,"href":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/174631\/revisions\/175515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=174631"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=174631"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lukeford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=174631"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}