Haberman, Swan Detail 5-to-6-Person Trump Iran War Circle in $113 Billion Conflict
Updated
Updated · The Daily Beast · Jun 23
Haberman, Swan Detail 5-to-6-Person Trump Iran War Circle in $113 Billion Conflict
3 articles · Updated · The Daily Beast · Jun 23
Summary
$113 billion and 108 days later, Haberman and Swan say Trump’s Iran war was decided by a tiny inner circle of five or six people plus the president.
Feb. 26 was the final prewar meeting, their book says, with Trump, JD Vance, Susie Wiles, Marco Rubio, Pete Hegseth and other top aides present before bombing began two days later.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and DNI Tulsi Gabbard were not in the room, despite the authors arguing they would have been central to managing an oil-market shock.
The book says Vance reiterated his opposition but agreed to back Trump, while Wiles told him to proceed if he believed U.S. national security required it.
The reporting lands as the war’s fallout still lingers: 16 Americans were killed, thousands died overall, and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains below prewar levels.
With oil markets in chaos, was the $113 billion Iran war a strategic failure?
A secret council ran the Iran war. What does this mean for future global crises?
How are nations rebuilding supply chains after the Iran war's unprecedented shock?
Aftermath of the 2026 US-Iran Conflict: Economic Strain, Military Depletion, and Lingering Instability
Overview
The US-Iran conflict, ending with a costly peace agreement signed by President Trump on June 17, 2026, failed to resolve key issues. The agreement left Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and regional influence untouched, with no limits on ballistic missiles and no clear plan for future negotiations. Despite the official end to hostilities, the core problems that sparked the war remain, leaving both sides in a tense and unresolved situation. This outcome highlights the high costs of the conflict—economically and strategically—while offering little real progress toward lasting stability or security.