By Eric Peters
Eric Peters Autos
July 9, 2026
The British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain became a kind of archetype of naivety when he proclaimed "peace in our time" with what was then the Greater German Reich - because time soon ran out. It appears the same has happened - sooner - in our time. The United States is back to bombing Iran; Trump says the Memorandum of Agreement signed just a few weeks ago is now "over."
Well, it never really was.
The MOE was a victory for the Iranians. More specifically, it was an admission of defeat by the United States - which agreed to all of Iran's terms. These included continued Iranian control over the Strait of Hormuz, a fact Trump has tried to efface by talking up that the Strait is (well, was) open again. That part was true. It is also true that Iranians never agreed to surrender control over the Strait or cease charging a kind of toll for passage.
The big question now - one of them - at any rate - is whether Iran will resume attacks on Israel. Odds are it will - because not attacking Israel would be (from the Iranian point-of-view) something like the Russians not attacking NATO countries that continue to aid and abet the regime in Keeeeeeeeeeeeeeev. It is remarkable that - so far - the Russians have abstained from leveling NATO headquarters in Brussels. How much longer they will abstain remains to be seen. Same goes for the Iranians. After all, it is not primarily the United States that is the enemy of Iran. The United States is merely a kind of lumbering Golem acting on behalf of Israel.
Trump says - about the Iranians - "I don't want to deal with them anymore. They're scum. They're sick people. There's something wrong with them. They're cuckoo. As far as I'm concerned, it's over."
Well, same back at you say the Iranians - probably.
It was "cuckoo" to start this war in the first place as there was no good reason to start it. Having started it - and not won it - it is not surprising Trump doesn't want to "deal with them anymore." He never did want to deal - he wanted to dominate and destroy - and the Iranians know that, too. They are not, after all, stupid people. Trump no doubt assumed they were. He assumes everyone is. Because he considers everyone else a sucker. It is the art of his dealings.
Trump also assumed he could "regime change" them after a few days - perhaps a couple of weeks - of shock-and-awe bombardment. That assumption proved erroneous. It must be galling for Trump, who more than anything else cannot abide being seen as a loser.
Well, he is - because he has.
"Sick people" ? Was it the Iranians who deliberately attacked (and double tapped) a girls' school, killing more than 100 girls ? That's pretty actually sick by any sane measure. "There's something wrong with them" ? For not rolling over and accepting the attempted regime-changing of their country?
For hitting back?
Now the worry is what Trump will do next. The war is no more popular now than it was a couple of weeks ago. Americans are not interested in paying even $3 for a gallon of gas for the sake of regime-changing Iran. Gas is apt to head back to $4 per gallon now - and possibly higher. Worse, a couple of weeks of peace has not been enough time to get the world's supply of crude oil back to where it was - or even close. This is an important thing to understand because it is probably true that Trump paused the war a couple of weeks ago because it finally got through his thick skull that reserves - which were propping up the supply - were on the verge of running out. When they do, $4 per gallon gas will seem cheap. Assuming there is gas available to buy.
The Iranians know this also. It is the leverage they have over Trump. They can gimp the world economy and by doing that, gimp Trump. So what will Trump do about it ? What can he do about it?
Will more shock and awe work ? It hasn't so far. What makes anyone think it will work again ? Bombing Harder has become something like Voting Harder. This leaves Trump in a No Way Out situation. Unless he accepts Iranian control over the Strait, which is about as likely as Trump accepting that his hair is no longer golden blonde.
The only thing I can see that would change the paradigm would be a "new Pearl Harbor," in the words of the Partnership for a New American Century, which was really all about a new Israeli century. Is it time to pin the tail on the Iranian donkey ? To summon War Fever that isn't exactly roiling right now ? It worked on that September morning a quarter century ago.
We may soon see whether it will work again, in our time.
This article was originally published on Eric Peters Autos.