Is Trump’s War on Iran About World Security…Or His Bank Account?

On Sunday, April 12th, 2026, Donald Trump announced that “effective immediately” the U.S. Navy would be preventing ships from passing through the Iranian-controlled Strait of Hormuz, accusing Iran of “extorting” them. He had previously criticized Iran for blocking the critical oil shipping passageway. This comes after neither the U.S. nor Iran was able to come to terms to end the current war taking place in the region, started by the Trump Administration on February 28th. The current conflict has, at this writing, gone on for six weeks and has resulted in the deaths of approximately 3700 Iranians – with some 1700 civilians (at least 254 of whom were children) – being killed. Hundreds have been killed in Lebanon as a result of Israeli bombing strikes, as well as there being significant casualties in Iraq, the West Bank, and Gulf States, and over 3 million people have been displaced due to the conflict.

Why?

Well, that seems to be the question of the year. Since initiating the current “operation,” the reasons given by the Pentagon and the Trump Administration have been varied, often conflicting with each other. Let’s examine those for a moment, shall we?

Nuclear Ambitions

The central justification appears to be that war was necessary in order to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, with Administration officials claiming the goal was to “obliterate” Iran’s nuclear goals. This is a thin reason, however, as the Trump Administration has previously claimed to have “obliterated” after he had ordered missile strikes in June 2025 (“Operation Midnight Hammer”). At that time, Trump claimed the strikes were necessary to prevent Iran from achieving what it needed to build a nuclear weapon…but subsequent intelligence reports suggest the damage was less than total “obliteration.”

Regime Change

There have been significant conflicting reports and assessments as to whether or not instigating a conflict with Iran would result in regime change, with several Administration officials (including current U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth) stating the current conflict is not a “regime change war.” Hegseth in particular asserted that the goal was to destroy Iran’s nuclear and conventional military capabilities…which had allegedly already been achieved via Operation Midnight Hammer in June 2025. Trump himself is noted to have encouraged the Iranian people to “seize control of your destiny,” despite some intelligence assessments suggesting that military actions were unlikely to lead to regime change despite the removal of some key Iranian leadership figures.

Neutralizing Regional Proxies

This goal was combined with the claim that this “military operation” would establish “regional peace by stopping Iran from continuing to fund and arm militant groups across the Middle East.

As of this month (April 2026), these particular justifications were often questioned, with some analysts noting that several objectives remained unmet after weeks of conflict. It is important to include several other possible goals/justifications: Manipulation by Israel to achieve a long sought after goal…and simple Trump greed.

“The Great Satan” and “The Little Satan”

On November 4^th, 1979, a large group of young Iranians made up largely of engineering and science students from institutions such as the University of Tehran, Sharif University of Technology, Amirkabir University of Technology (Polytechnic of Tehran), and Iran University of Science and Technology, calling themselves the “Muslim Student Followers of the Imam’s Line" – many of them heavily armed – stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. The day had started for the students around 6:30am, with the ringleaders gathering between 300 and 500 selected students to brief them on their battle plan. One or more female students were given metal cutters to break the chains of the embassy’s gates, hiding them beneath their chadors (a full-body-length semicircle of fabric that is open down the front pulled over the head, held closed at the front by the wearer). Originally, the plan was to gain entry to the embassy and stage a “symbolic occupation.” The students initially retreated when embassy guards brandished weapons at them, but when it became clear that the guards were not going to use deadly force on the students, this plan changed. It was not long before pre-arranged busloads of demonstrators arrived outside the embassy…and the initial group broke through the embassy gates, quickly overwhelming embassy guards, and personnel. While several staff escaped, 66 American diplomats (63 at the embassy itself and 3 at the Iranian Foreign Ministry), embassy staff, and security personnel were taken hostage. 13 individuals, mostly women, African Americans, and non-U.S. citizens were released shortly afterward (plus one for health reasons), 52 Americans were held for 444 days.

This was my introduction as a child (I was 12 at the time…) to Iran. I do not recall ever having heard the name of this country, at least not to this degree, before these events. For many of my generation, this is where we first imprinted Iran’s position as an adversary of the U.S.

The 1979 Islamic Revolution that ousted the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and installed Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini as Supreme Leader of Iran turned the country’s diplomatic relations with the West on its head. The Shah had been a close ally of both Israel and the U.S., being one of the first Muslim-majority countries to recognize Israel, maintaining close security, military, and economic cooperation pre-revolution. As soon as the Islamic Republic came into power in 1979, it labelled Israel the “Little Satan” and the U.S. the “Great Satan” and aligned its foreign policy against them. The Islamic Republic’s ideology included calling for the destruction of Israel and supporting Palestinian militant groups to achieve that end.

Thus began a “shadow war,” or proxy conflict, between Israel and Iran, with Iran creating an “Axis of Resistance” against Israel ad the U.S., using funding and arming groups like Hezbollah to engage Israel at every opportunity. Israel, for its part, has attempted to draw the U.S. into more direct conflict with Iran ever since, exhorting every U.S. president from Carter to Biden to become more involved. However, the U.S. has consistently resisted Israel’s efforts to escalate conflict with Iran, choosing instead to focus on diplomacy and sanctions, opposing direct U.S. involvement in strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites.

And then along came Trump…

Operation Destructive Avarice

Iran’s wealth is primarily energy sector driven, with its key exports including crude oil, refined petroleum products, petrochemicals, iron ore, and plastics, enhanced by such agricultural and luxury items as saffron, pistachios, and hand-woven carpets. The backbone of the economy, however, is its export of petroleum and gas, with China, Iraq, Turkey, Pakistan, and India as its main customers. Iran also controls the Strait of Hormuz, through which passes approximately 20% to 25% of the world’s oil consumption, even though Iran itself only produces about 4% to 5% of the world’s oil. Iran has operational control of the Strait and uses this advantage as leverage on multiple levels, including geopolitical and the ability to manipulate markets to its own benefit. This is one reason the U.S. has chosen, for the most part, to tread very lightly in its dealings with Iran…but never fully trusting it. It is also of particular note to add that Iran has vast mineral wealth, contributing to exports copper, zinc, aluminum, as well as iron ore.

Controlling the Strait of Hormuz is key to Iran’s economy…as well as contributing to the stability of prices of oil and goods for the rest of the world economy. It is safe to say that whoever controls the Strait holds significant leverage over the global economy. Approximately 90% of Persian Gulf oil exports rely on access to this route, using it to export substantial amounts of oil to Asia, Europe, and North America.

In April 2025, Trump pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy into signing an agreement securing 50/50 partnership securing Ukrainian mineral rights. The deal creates the “U.S.-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund” to jointly invest in critical minerals—such as titanium, lithium, and rare earth elements—alongside oil and gas, focusing on developing Ukraine’s resources and funding post-war recovery. After the Trump Administration’s strikes on Venezuela and capture of its president Nicolás Maduro, Trump indicated the U.S. would take control of substantial oil reserves to benefit the Venezuelan people and secure American interests. Additionally, between January 2025 and April 2026, the administration has signed MOUs and bilateral frameworks with countries in Africa (e.g., DRC) and South America to establish a "geopolitically exclusionary" trading bloc that guarantees U.S. access. And if anyone was still curious about Trump’s obsession with Greenland, the country is exceptionally rich in rare earth minerals. Trump has consistently stated that his interest in Greenland is strategic…but both of Trump’s terms as president have proven he is much more interested in enriching himself.

The Bottom Line

Critics allege that Trump’s “Iran War” is motivated more by economic interest and greed, specifically designed to seize oil resources, escalate costs, and enrich “kleptocrats.” His rhetoric demanding Iran’s oil and unconditional surrender, while causing worldwide market volatility and soaring oil prices, aligns with the assertions that financial gain is a primary motivation behind the conflict. By implementing a blockade of the Strait, in combination with the already existing limitations Iran has placed on shipping traffic in response to the U.S. attacks, Trump will succeed in pushing oil prices higher and higher. There is a term for all of this: war profiteering. But Trump’s strategy is not as well-thought out as he or his sycophantic cabinet believe. The destruction of the Iran nuclear deal the Obama Administration had secured, and driven by a different, more profitable arrangement, has resulted in a costly, ongoing was that has increased the risk of a global recession.

All of this said, if Trump continues to profit personally, manipulating whole nations by using the formidable might of the American military to threaten/bully/attack other countries, the question becomes will Trump ever see the truly evil and destructive result of his actions and decide on his own to stop?

I asked this of my Magic 8 Ball. The response?

“Outlook Not So Good”

Pretty much what I thought…