Tucker Carlson on the Road to Economic Armageddon By Charles Taylor (Florida)

That is not even to consider the possibility of Israel launching nuclear missiles, which will bring Russia and China directly into the chaos.

“Tucker Carlson sat down with Col. Douglas Macgregor (ret.), who laid out a disturbing scenario in which the United States could quickly be pulled into a direct conflict with Iran, Russia and China over Israel's anticipated response to the October 7 Hamas attack.

Carlson starts off highlighting Lindsey Graham, who vowed; "...if Hezbollah, which is a proxy of Iran, launches a massive attack on Israel, I consider that a threat to the... state of Israel, existential in nature. I will introduce a resolution [in] the United States Senate to allow military action by the United States in conjunction with Israel to knock Iran out of the Oil Business..."

Carlson then asks: "So what would war with Iran mean? Well, it's hard to know because virtually no one who's talking about it in public is operating from a deep interest in America's interest. Is this good for us, or is it not?"

If, as Sen. Graham suggests, we start bombing critical infrastructure in Iran, Macgregor warns "the destruction would be wholesale" as Iran would target "all the bases we have in Iraq and Syria - with around 1000 Americans - would be targeted... and this time accurately."

According to Macgregor, "The chosen destination" if we continue on this path, "is Armageddon," and the implications (of which nobody seems to be considering) for the United States, Europe, and the Middle East are grave. For example, "just on the economic side, about 20% of the world's oil passes through the Straits of Hormuz every month - probably 25% of liquefied natural gas, and you're talking about shutting down 2 to three million barrels a day of oil from Iran. 

"You know this entire region is involved in the war. This is not an Iranian Monopoly by any stretch of the imagination," he continued.

The two also discussed how one of the primary challenges of in contemplating war with Iran is the unpredictable nature of such conflicts. Economic sanctions, which have been the go-to strategy for years, have failed to cripple Iran's military capabilities. When military force comes into play, a whole new set of unknowns emerges.

The U.S. military, as it stands, may not be adequately prepared for such a conflict - particularly if the enemy has new weapons systems and capabilities.

"We've had the luxury of sitting around forward operating bases and striking opponents that were armed with AK-47s, and command detonated mines and the occasional mortar or rocket. Very, very low-intensity combat," he said, referring to the types of engagements the US military has grown accustomed to.

Nuclear wildcard?

According to Macgregor, "This is a high-end, conventional war that we're looking at, with the potential to go nuclear - which, obviously, I don't think we or the Russians want to happen, but we have the wild-card in Israel. They do have a nuclear capability."

"We don't know what the trip wire is for them to employ such a weapon. At that point of course, all bets are off and I think most of the world would turn against Israel. Right now, they just have to worry about the Muslim world against them," he continued, explaining that by focusing on Hamas and Hezbollah as immediate threats, the broader implications are obscured. For example, attacking urban environments such as Gaza comes with a high risk of civilian casualties - the consequences of which would catastrophic, both morally and strategically.

"Hezbollah has a very large operation in Mexico," says Macgregor. "There are no doubt many, many Hezbollah agents inside the United States. We can only begin to imagine the kind of trouble they could cause."

In the midst of all this, the question arises: How will a war with Iran affect American domestic politics? History shows that war is often used to stifle dissent, but in today's connected world, censorship can only go so far. Public opinion, initially in favor of violence against Hamas, may wane as the conflict escalates and images of destruction flood the media.

"But what's most important, I think, for Americans to understand is, if we attack Iran on the basis of Hezbollah's alleged willingness to attack Israel, if Israel gets into a real shooting war with Hezbollah, they have the largest armed forces in the region."