Before 9/11, the Bush administration was warned about Al Qaeda, but they dismissed it. 9/11 could have been prevented if defense against terrorism was more of a focus. The previous administration was relatively more focused on it and did stop an attack.
Iran’s nuclear program was one of the most transparent in the world thanks to the nuclear deal with Obama, which Trump left. With the war, it’s difficult to know what Iran is doing as far as nuclear research and building.
The war may have strengthened the Iranian regime by giving Iran an outside enemy that is attacking them. When Trump talks about erasing civilization and shares maps of Iran breaking up, that facilitates Iranians believing that the US and Israel are after Iran, not just the current regime.
The Houthis look at the Iran war, and they perceive Iran as winning, and this emboldened them.
Iran has been supplying the Houthis with arms high in quantity and quality. The Houthis are well organized while their opposition is divided and not as well armed.
The Houthis are hitting Saudi Arabia hard and gas prices are going up as a result.
WHERE IS TURKEY AND PAKISTAN!? SAUDI ARABIA’S NEW ALLIES!!!
Iran is hurting from the US blockade, but the Iranian government cares more about staying in power than the welfare of its own people. There is limited internal resistance to the regime, but it’s not clear how or if this will escalate to overthrow it.
The US strategy in Iran is one of economic warfare through sanctions and blockade forcing: Iran to give in or a revolution in Iran. There doesn’t appear to be the forces necessary in Iran to create a successful revolution, but it’s not impossible.
The war isn’t the US economy VS Iran’s economy, it’s Iran’s economy and a regime willing to let its people take extreme suffering VS something breaking in the international economy that forces the US to give up.