A "battlefield victory" over Iran would be "historic" indeed. While the true figure would probably be far higher, at least one third of the population, more than 30 million people, will be ideologically supportive of the regime, or economically dependent on it, or both.
And Iran is like a fantasy novel, walled by mountains even before you had to cross one or more deserts to reach a city the size of London in a metropolitan area twice as populous as Libya. How did Libya work out?
Having declared total victory, you could hardly go back to war a fortnight later. But before this war, the Strait of Hormuz was not only open, but toll-free. Yet now there are not only tolls, but they have to be paid in yuan, adding up to $60 billion per annum, or even $80 billion.
And Donald Trump, who closed the Strait in the first place, has done a deal to get a cut. He calls that a victory. So it is. For him. Next up, the vast reserves of coal in North Korea. You read it here first, as you often do. Of course, there are also vast reserves of coal in Britain. Think on.
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