The Cost of Imperialism
As we progress further into the conflict created by the imperialist nations of the US and Israel against Iran, we are reminded each day of the cost of imperialism. There is without doubt a horrific and unnecessary human cost to this conflict, one for which we will not be speaking today, but it needs stating that the US and Israel are employing tactics that violate a great number of human rights laws and treaties, and are emulating their behaviors from the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people. In this article today, we will briefly discuss the material and social cost of this conflict as we have seen it play out.
The US and Israel began their offensive and imperialist war of aggression against the people of Iran at the end of last month. Within hours, we had seen impacts on economies and trade in the localized region. Within days, we've seen the expansion of those impacts to global markets. As it stands, the US and Israel are indeed losing the war, insofar as they have caused more harm to themselves, their empires, their citizenry, and their allies, than would have transpired had they not undertaken the conflict. We have already seen harm inflicted by Iran against US-Israel Axis forces and allies greatly reduce the popularity of their regimes in the eyes of their people due to direct impact losses to their troops, and in the case of Israel, in direct impacts of the citizen infrastructure being targeted by defensive missiles from Iran. We have seen Israel, in the last few days, launch a wildly unsuccessful attack on southern Lebanon that has trapped their troops in dense urban warfare. We've seen the US mobilize to deploy troops in Iran, something that is a vast escalation of the conflict from the supposed stated goals of the initial strikes.
While this all has been going on, Iran's defensive strategy has been unlike anything we have seen from prior attacks against Iran by the US-Israeli Axis. We have seen them target key infrastructure and choke-points that directly cripple not only the Axis' ability to wage war, but also exact a direct and dire cost on the citizens of countries aligned with the US and Israel. Militarily, Iran has attacked key infrastructure of the US and Israeli military apparatuses, such as the most recent strike on the Patriot Missile site in Jordan, or the previous strikes crippling US radar coverage of the region. We've seen Lebanese forces also successfully target Israeli military infrastructure and troop movements as Israel attempts to enact lofty colonial expansionist goals. The US military infrastructure has stated that they are running low on interceptor weapons, which alone cost significantly more than the missiles and drones they are designed to intercept, and we are seeing them abandon protection of allied Gulf States in order to favor protection of Israel. It also should be pointed out, Israel is still suffering repeated successful Iron Dome Penetrations by hypersonic and supersonic missiles fired from Lebanon and Iran, proving once again as we have seen in the past with Hamas launched attacks, that their defensive infrastructure is insufficient to protect their own people on the ground, let alone supposed allies. The US has also suffered losses due to friendly fire only days into the conflict, demonstrating a true and utter incompetence to at least adequately communicate with allies. Iran has targeted and hit a British RAF base in Cyprus as well, due to their collusion and appeasement of the Axis, leading Cyprus to question continued leasing of Cypriot land to the British RAF in the future.
The cost of this conflict goes far beyond military targets as well. We have seen attacks against hotels housing US military and intelligence apparatus personnel, key civilian infrastructure such as the Dubai International Airport, and key regional choke-points like the Straight of Hormuz. In less than a week, we have seen gasoline prices in the US spike by an average of $0.40USD, and by the time this article is published, we are likely to have seen an even higher rise. As Iran targets key oil infrastructure, they cripple the West's and the Axis' ability to sustain their population's consumptive needs. Nations so thoroughly dedicated to oil, without sufficient oil production on their home fronts to sustain their consumption. While we have indeed seen great and admirable progress taken by citizens (though certainly not the governments) of these nations in regards to clean energy transitions, such as household solar power, tiny living movements, off grid constructions, and more, we still see their societies are reliant on oil. A majority of the population in places such as the US rely directly on cars and trucks in order to transport goods. Intercity transport is largely reduced solely to airline flights or long distance driving, and railroad infrastructure is almost universally reliant on diesel motive power. Iran's targeting of oil infrastructure, and the US's lack of production capacity and reserves, has led directly in less than 10 days to a spike in oil prices that is seldom ever seen, with no indications of slowing down or stopping. Countries like China and Russia have at-home productions and ample reserves of oil, and can easily weather these impacts. China leads the world in electric vehicle production and is quickly proving itself as a green energy hub. Pivoting away from oil and natural gas is well within the abilities of China, but significantly out of reach for the members of the Axis. Impacts are being seen currently on jet fuel prices, and on gasoline prices, across the nation. Flights have been becoming increasingly more expensive for everyday Americans, and this has only exacerbated that. Many Americans also spend a huge portion of their income on fuel for their vehicles and heating oil for their homes, especially since the US is still in the midst of winter weather. Increases in these areas leads inevitably to less expendable income for some, and more likely for most, a reduction in ability to commute to work, or afford simple goods that are shipped by truck or train such as groceries. An economy so thoroughly dependent on oil, with little recourse to withstand impacts to that dependency, are liable at best to see a similar crisis to that which we saw in 1973, and at worst see a total collapse of infrastructure.
As Americans are quickly discovering, the arguably small scale impacts that Iran has thus far enacted have led directly to a crisis that we are seeing that is felt by working class Americans. A billionaire can afford a 200% increase in jet fuel prices, but an average American can't afford a $1,000 flight to see their dying family member in the hospital. A billionaire can afford $7/gal ($1.84/L) easily, but an average American would no longer be able to afford to drive the 30 minutes to and from work each day. Trucking costs will skyrocket, as millions of Americans continue to enter food insecurity due to governmental abandonment and material conditions in the US. They might no longer be able to afford meat, or vegetables, that more directly rely on shipping costs because of their shelf life. Americans paying twice as much for goods in a grocery store will be a significant escalation to the ongoing grocery cost crisis that they are currently experiencing. Thousands will die because of a lack of access to resources, more than we are already seeing. Tens of thousands more than already will lose their homes or jobs because of the financial impact that these cost increases have on the average worker. Tourism, however ethical or unethical, will collapse further leading to destitution for employees of the tourism industry as we saw during the COVID era. It is hard to understate the reaching impacts that Iran's efforts in exacting cost against the Axis will have.
It needs said, as we wrap up this article, the only people to blame for this impact are the imperialists. Without any regard for their people, or the people of sovereign nations, they started an inhumane and imperialist conflict. Without any planning or safeguards, they chose to attack a formidable enemy who had the capability to cripple this key infrastructure. Iran is not the villain here. Iran did not choose of their own volition to exact this toll on Americans. They are acting lawfully within the bounds of the United Nations in defense of their nation against the Axis. The impacts to the US, and the destruction of the abhorrent and criminal absolute monarchies of the Middle East, are a sole consequence of US-Israeli action. The blood is both figuratively and literally on their hands. We cannot speculate about the political impacts that these blows will have, given the speed at which they are happening, but we can hope that it leads to a full realization of the American people that capitalism, fascism, and imperialism are not viable options for society. We can hope that demonstrations turn into revolution, as people become unable to survive. The US and Israel made a dire mistake in starting this conflict, with consequences neither nation has faced before. Consequences that are being felt less than 10 days into a war of aggression. Their mistake is plain for the world to see, and we are seeing a rapid shift towards multipolarity across the globe. We can only hope this continues as the hegemonic control of the US is destroyed by its own government.
A brief note on mental health:
We know this is a scary time. And if you need to distance yourself from the situation regarding Iran for your own mental health, that is okay and valid. Take care of yourself first. We recommend that you prepare yourself for the worst, such as stocking up (safely) on fuel or other resources that will be directly affected by these impacts if you are in a location where this will happen. We understand the need to revolt against imperialists, and we throw our full and unwavering support behind people who are out on the streets fighting the US and other allied governments. If you are unable to do so for your own mental health, we at FurInform support you in that regard as well, and you are not lesser for it. Fight however you can, and take care of yourself while doing so.
In Solidarity,
FurInform
(FurInform is dedicated to a variety of issues, and so the US-Israeli Axis caused conflict will not be the only articles published while it is ongoing.)
Sources:
https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/gasdiesel/
https://www.trtworld.com/article/6ddaf3c21548
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2026/3/6/anger-in-cyprus-over-uk-bases-as-us-israel-war-with-iran-endangers-island
https://www.democracynow.org/2026/3/6/younes_shakir_israel_lebanon_war_strikes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ad1-FjzgxKc
