Robert Wright's Nonzero Iran's War for a New Middle East Order (Robert Wright & Hooman Majd)
Mar 12, 2026
Hooman Majd, political commentator and author with deep ties to Iran’s political life, explains Tehran’s strategy and regional signaling. He breaks down why Iran sought to inflict regional pain to strengthen its bargaining position. He discusses Gulf states’ security calculations, the survival prospects of Iran’s ruling system, and missed chances for U.S.-Iran rapprochement.
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Iran's Calculated Regional Retaliation
- Iran quickly expanded the war's effects regionally to pressure the U.S. and allies into negotiating rather than absorb only local strikes.
- Hooman Majd says Iran signaled this strategy since the June strikes and deliberately targeted economic and Gulf-state vulnerabilities like shipping and airports.
Iranians Thought They Had A Better Deal
- Iran believed it had a superior negotiating offer to the U.S. before the war and thought Trump wanted a deal he could tout as better than Obama's.
- Majd argues negotiators like Jared Kushner lacked expertise, which fueled Iranian suspicion and mistrust.
Strikes Hit Schools And Supreme Leader's Compound
- Majd recounts the timing of strikes: two hours after Tehran schoolchildren started classes a missile hit a school and Israel bombed the supreme leader's compound.
- He cites roughly 168–175 schoolchildren killed and family members of the supreme leader among early casualties.
