Expert Warns Trump's Iran Stance Risks Global Economy, AI Sector

In an interview with ANI, Col. McGregor described the US President's speech as "very disappointing" and said that it did little to chart a constructive path forward in the escalating conflict with Tehran since its inception on February 28.

Discussing the President's stated goals -- chiefly preventing Iran from ever developing a nuclear weapon and keeping the Strait of Hormuz open for global maritime traffic -- Col. McGregor acknowledged that the US claims to have "obliterated the nuclear development" in Iran during a previous strike in June. However, he questioned the broader strategic approach.

"Nobody really knows" what finishing the job looks like, Col McGregor said, adding that the address "offered the usual litany of talking points" more in line with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's framing of Iran as the world's foremost sponsor of terrorism.

"The only things that we can point to at this stage are really two things that he talks about. He continues to talk about preventing Iran from ever developing or fielding a nuclear weapon, though he tells us that he obliterated the nuclear development on his last strike in June. And he wants the Strait of Hormuz to be open and says he's not prepared to cooperate or discuss anything with the Iranians until they open the Strait. Now, beyond that, we were being treated to the usual litany of Netanyahu talking points, demonising Iran as the world's greatest sponsor of terrorism and all this," the retired Colonel said.

He pushed back on that characterisation, saying, "Anybody who has any sort of background in the area knows that's nonsense," noting that the presence of terrorists inside Iran has been minimal compared to other regions.

"We can look for terrorists in a number of places, but we haven't found very many in Iran. So the bottom line is, this is very disappointing," he added.

Col. McGregor said hopes that Trump might use the moment to call for easing tensions - including reopening diplomatic channels and encouraging free movement of commercial traffic through the Strait - were unmet.

"There were many of us that hoped that he would somehow or another say, 'Look, we've done all we can do. We want the Strait to be open for the world. It's in the interest of the global economy that this strait be open as quickly as possible. And so we are ending this conflict. And we're prepared to talk in the future with the Iranian government,' whatever it is, but that didn't happen," he said.

The advisor further warned that continuing hostilities threaten the global economy, which relies on stable, affordable energy -- a central input for industries and the burgeoning artificial intelligence sector.

"All these artificial intelligence companies that Wall Street values at trillions of dollars built their entire business model on cheap energy. Those assumptions are obsolete. This is going to get a lot worse from here," he said.

He described a dramatic drop in commercial traffic through the Strait -- down 95 per cent at one point -- and highlighted how Iran's imposition of tolls has complicated transit for ships from countries unfriendly to Tehran.

However, he suggested that Iran has shown a willingness to accommodate global commercial interests.

"It's obvious that if you are unfriendly to Iran, if you are hostile to Iran, if you are somewhere or other connected to us, you're the enemy; you're not going to get through. But otherwise, it's quite clear that the Iranians are trying to accommodate the rest of the world. I think we should do the same thing. But he's decided not to do that," he added.

Instead of pursuing diplomatic engagement, Col. McGregor said, the Trump administration has "fallen back on the old trope and the old mantra" of confrontation.

Using a stark automotive metaphor, he warned, "The president has turned the global economy into an automobile that's racing down the side of a hill at about 100 miles per hour or 160 kilometres per hour, whatever you want. It's on a collision course with a reinforced concrete wall. Seeing the dangers ahead, a prudent man would put the brakes on. He'd floor the brakes as much as possible. Instead, he's stepping on the gas pedal. Things are going to get a lot worse from here."

He stressed that rising anxiety about the situation is not confined to the West.

"People that are already worried -- people in India, Africa, and Asia -- everyone is worried about the same things," McGregor said, noting that global markets and geopolitics are increasingly interconnected.

Col. McGregor's comments underscore growing international concern that continued confrontation, rather than engagement, could exacerbate tensions and disrupt global economic stability after Trump, in his address to the nation on Iran, reiterated US objectives of preventing Tehran from developing nuclear weapons and ensuring the free flow of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz amid the conflict in West Asia.

- ANI