This episode makes three points that aren’t getting explained well in the media coverage or in social media discussions. First, this is about fossil fuels. Iran and the Straight of Hormuz that it controls would be infinitely less strategic, and the fallout of this war infinitely less severe for other countries, were it not for our deep reliance on oil and gas. Second, there’s not really an off-ramp from this situation. The people saying there is are thinking from the American perspective, not the Iranian perspective. Third, this really was a wholly unprovoked attack against a government the U.S. does not like, but that posed no threat and with no credible pathway to change the regime into something better.