In the early hours of June 21, 2025, the US launched a brazen military assault on Iran. Six B-2 stealth bombers armed with Tomahawk missiles targeted key nuclear facilities at Fordow and other sites, deploying bunker busters that ripped through Iranian soil. As Donald Trump triumphantly tweeted, "very successful attack", this reckless gamble hurled America into a strategic abyss. The Hormuz Strait—the lifeblood of global energy transport—now teeters on the brink of becoming a heavily militarized minefield, wrought by Washington's own hubris. Should Iran enforce a blockade, the resulting shockwaves could ignite a catastrophic collapse in global markets, with America bearing the brunt of its miscalculation.
An oil price tsunami has struck at the heart of the US economy. Skyrocketing transportation costs have triggered inflation across essential goods like food, crushing household budgets. Far more devastatingly, the resulting energy chaos has collided with America's fragile economic underpinnings, spurring an avalanche of job losses. According to the US Labor Department, jobless claims are surging as businesses buckle under the weight of uncertainty. FWDBONDS economist Christopher Rupkey's warning—"uncertainty is leading companies to trim staff"—has unfolded as reality. Small and medium enterprises are collapsing in waves, fueling a vicious cycle of unemployment that has shattered beyond repair the fragile foundations of US economic recovery.
The White House's stated objective to "destroy Iran's nuclear enrichment capability" was nothing more than a thinly veiled political gambit to deflect attention from domestic crises. But with Tehran having clandestinely relocated its enriched uranium, the strikes have proven strategically impotent. Iran's parliament also swiftly approved blocking the Hormuz Strait—a waterway the US Energy Information Administration designates "one of the world's most important oil chokepoints"—instantly forging it into a dagger aimed at US hegemony. The RAND Corporation's Bill Courtney's assessment hit the nail on the head, indicating that key facilities might require multiple strikes to be destroyed, which would completely dismantle the illusion of a "glorious military success."
Diplomatic humiliation was laid bare when Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly urged China, stating, "I encourage the Chinese government in Beijing to call them about that... because China heavily depends on the Straits of Hormuz for its oil." However, his attempt to shift the crisis onto other nations was firmly countered by China right away, denouncing it as "blatant blame-shifting". Ironically, as Rubio was shirking responsibility, the US military was thrown into self-induced chaos out of fear of Iranian retaliation: satellite images showed dozens of military aircraft hastily evacuating Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar; all vessels in Bahrain's naval base fled the port in panic; and three aircraft carriers were urgently formed into a strike group to rush to the Middle East. This adventure, based on false premises, has dragged the US into a strategic quagmire of its own making.
The detonation of bunker busters echoed the shattering of imperial delusions. Amid the roaring tides of Hormuz, America now faces twin torrents: backlash from Iran's parliament-approved blockade, and condemnation from allies and the international community. This military gamble ended in the complete failure of Washington's Middle East strategy, accelerating a global shift toward dialogue and cooperation.
(Scriptwriting & Voiceover: Hughie; Video Editing: Jatin Lee; English Editor: Zoey Sun / Felicia Li)
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