Patrick Cockburn: Will Trump & Israel strike Iran again?

In the aftermath of the Israeli and U.S. midterm elections, will Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu launch another military campaign against Iran? And what would a renewed war mean for the Middle East? Washington and Jerusalem have underestimated Iran’s capacity to retaliate, overestimated the effectiveness of air power and pursued a strategy that risks turning a military campaign into a prolonged regional conflict. Could another round of strikes achieve what the first failed to accomplish? Or would it deepen the strategic predicament facing both countries? With likely big Republican setbacks in the midterms, what are the wider consequences of Donald Trump’s presidency: the erosion of American soft power, questions about corruption and the relationship between private interests and public office, and the longer-term implications for American power? Finally, what happens to Israel’s relationship with the United States after Trump and Netanyahu leave the political stage? Could Israel sustain its present regional strategy without Washington’s military and diplomatic backing? Patrick Cockburn has spent decades reporting from the Middle East. He is Middle East correspondent and columnist with the I newspaper in the UK and author of War in the Age of Trump. Join Tom's Exclusive Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/cff5e11f69a3/switzerland-with-tom-switzer Read Tom's Substack: https://substack.com/@tomswitzershow Tom Switzer is a journalist and broadcaster who has been a prolific commentator on politics and international affairs. His writing and commentary have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times (international), The Australian, and across ABC and News24 (formerly Sky News), where he has been a regular presenter and panellist. For 30 years, since 1995, he has worked at the Washington-based American Enterprise Institute, the Australian Financial Review, The Australian, the London-based Spectator magazine, and the Sydney-based Centre for Independent Studies, which he headed from 2017 to 2025. He is the host of Switzerland, a long-form interview series exploring global politics, modern history, and the ideas shaping the world.