Below are four ways in which the US war in Iran has damaged Washington’s position in the great power rivalries of the 21st century. Losing the influence war in the Middle EastAs I explore in my book “Defending Frenemies,” the US has long struggled to balance competing objectives in the Middle East. That may have given China some protection during the global economic shock caused by the Iran war, as well as pushed the economy further down its own track. In general, the Iran war adds weight to Beijing’s worldview that the US-led liberal international order is over. And for Russia, the Iran war and the rupture between Trump and America’s NATO allies over their lack of support for it, shift world attention and US involvement from the war in Ukraine.

Source: The Telegraph April 12, 2026 04:52 UTC