Trump’s gamble in Iran
March 13, 2026
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Ian Explains
On Ian Explains, host Ian Bremmer makes complex issues about global politics understandable. Ian Explains is a weekly segment on GZERO WORLD with Ian Bremmer, GZERO's weekly program about global news and current affairs.
What exactly is President Donald Trump trying to achieve in Iran, and how does it compare with past US interventions in the Middle East?
Before the Iraq War, Secretary of State Colin Powell warned President George W. Bush about what became known as the “Pottery Barn rule”:
“You are going to be the proud owner of 25 million people… You’ll own all their hopes, their aspirations, and problems. You’ll own it all…. The Pottery Barn rule, ‘You break it, you own it.’”
The idea was simple: if the US destroys a regime, it becomes responsible for what comes next. But Trump’s approach to Iran looks very different, raising a bigger question: if Washington breaks something this time, will it feel responsible for owning it?
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