Inside the Iran War Industry
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Current Issue
February 19, 2026
Inside the Iran War Industry
Using an old playbook with powerful new tools, it may be closer than ever to turning a US–Iran war into reality.
Jamal Abdi
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Reza Pahlavi, former crown prince of Iran, and his wife, Yasmine, address a crowd of anti-Islamic Republic protesters outside the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on February 14, 2026.(Michaela Stache / AFP via Getty Images)
As President Trump continues assembling an “armada” in the Middle East, decades of political efforts to maneuver the United States into war with Iran may finally be coming to fruition. Yet rather than delivering “help” to Iranians in the form of American bombs—and pulling the US into a potentially open-ended conflict that many experts say would make the invasion of Iraq look like a cakewalk—Trump has, for now, pivoted to negotiations. While the possibility of an agreement remains a long shot, the Iran war industry is pulling out all the stops to ensure its long-sought window for another regime-change war does not close.
US policy on Iran is one of the most aggressively one-sided political contests in Washington. The sprawling ecosystem pushing for war includes foreign leaders like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who rushed to Washington this past week to run interference as US talks with Iran showed signs of promise. It also includes the lobbying power of groups like AIPAC and their affiliated dark-money political operations like Democratic Majority for Israel and United Democracy Project. And it includes think tanks like the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, which frequently dominate the roster of expert witnesses invited to testify at Iran-related congressional hearings.
Campaigns for regime-change wars often follow a familiar playbook, and there is no shortage of actors vying to play the role of Ahmad Chalabi, who fed the George W. Bush administration false intelligence and promises that the United States could create democracy on the cheap to justify the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Today, the leading candidate may be the US-based son of the deposed shah, Reza Pahlavi, who has openly aligned with the Netanyahu government, defended Israel’s June war on Iran, and is now appealing to Donald Trump for US military intervention.
In the social-media age, the ability to promote an agenda, amplify certain voices, and ostracize others has ensured the push for war is not confined to the halls of power in Washington. It is also being fought aggressively in the digital sphere, where influence operations and coordinated harassment are reshaping debate within …
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Current Issue
February 19, 2026
Inside the Iran War Industry
Using an old playbook with powerful new tools, it may be closer than ever to turning a US–Iran war into reality.
Jamal Abdi
Share
Copy Link
X (Twitter)
Bluesky Pocket
Ad Policy
Reza Pahlavi, former crown prince of Iran, and his wife, Yasmine, address a crowd of anti-Islamic Republic protesters outside the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on February 14, 2026.(Michaela Stache / AFP via Getty Images)
As President Trump continues assembling an “armada” in the Middle East, decades of political efforts to maneuver the United States into war with Iran may finally be coming to fruition. Yet rather than delivering “help” to Iranians in the form of American bombs—and pulling the US into a potentially open-ended conflict that many experts say would make the invasion of Iraq look like a cakewalk—Trump has, for now, pivoted to negotiations. While the possibility of an agreement remains a long shot, the Iran war industry is pulling out all the stops to ensure its long-sought window for another regime-change war does not close.
US policy on Iran is one of the most aggressively one-sided political contests in Washington. The sprawling ecosystem pushing for war includes foreign leaders like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who rushed to Washington this past week to run interference as US talks with Iran showed signs of promise. It also includes the lobbying power of groups like AIPAC and their affiliated dark-money political operations like Democratic Majority for Israel and United Democracy Project. And it includes think tanks like the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, which frequently dominate the roster of expert witnesses invited to testify at Iran-related congressional hearings.
Campaigns for regime-change wars often follow a familiar playbook, and there is no shortage of actors vying to play the role of Ahmad Chalabi, who fed the George W. Bush administration false intelligence and promises that the United States could create democracy on the cheap to justify the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Today, the leading candidate may be the US-based son of the deposed shah, Reza Pahlavi, who has openly aligned with the Netanyahu government, defended Israel’s June war on Iran, and is now appealing to Donald Trump for US military intervention.
In the social-media age, the ability to promote an agenda, amplify certain voices, and ostracize others has ensured the push for war is not confined to the halls of power in Washington. It is also being fought aggressively in the digital sphere, where influence operations and coordinated harassment are reshaping debate within …
Inside the Iran War Industry
Are they actually going to vote on something real?
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Inside the Iran War Industry
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Search
Subscribe
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Magazine
Latest
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Politics
World
Economy
Culture
Books & the Arts
The Nation
About
Events
Contact Us
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Current Issue
February 19, 2026
Inside the Iran War Industry
Using an old playbook with powerful new tools, it may be closer than ever to turning a US–Iran war into reality.
Jamal Abdi
Share
Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky Pocket
Email
Ad Policy
Reza Pahlavi, former crown prince of Iran, and his wife, Yasmine, address a crowd of anti-Islamic Republic protesters outside the Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on February 14, 2026.(Michaela Stache / AFP via Getty Images)
As President Trump continues assembling an “armada” in the Middle East, decades of political efforts to maneuver the United States into war with Iran may finally be coming to fruition. Yet rather than delivering “help” to Iranians in the form of American bombs—and pulling the US into a potentially open-ended conflict that many experts say would make the invasion of Iraq look like a cakewalk—Trump has, for now, pivoted to negotiations. While the possibility of an agreement remains a long shot, the Iran war industry is pulling out all the stops to ensure its long-sought window for another regime-change war does not close.
US policy on Iran is one of the most aggressively one-sided political contests in Washington. The sprawling ecosystem pushing for war includes foreign leaders like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who rushed to Washington this past week to run interference as US talks with Iran showed signs of promise. It also includes the lobbying power of groups like AIPAC and their affiliated dark-money political operations like Democratic Majority for Israel and United Democracy Project. And it includes think tanks like the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, which frequently dominate the roster of expert witnesses invited to testify at Iran-related congressional hearings.
Campaigns for regime-change wars often follow a familiar playbook, and there is no shortage of actors vying to play the role of Ahmad Chalabi, who fed the George W. Bush administration false intelligence and promises that the United States could create democracy on the cheap to justify the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Today, the leading candidate may be the US-based son of the deposed shah, Reza Pahlavi, who has openly aligned with the Netanyahu government, defended Israel’s June war on Iran, and is now appealing to Donald Trump for US military intervention.
In the social-media age, the ability to promote an agenda, amplify certain voices, and ostracize others has ensured the push for war is not confined to the halls of power in Washington. It is also being fought aggressively in the digital sphere, where influence operations and coordinated harassment are reshaping debate within …
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