August 28, 2026

Good morning! Today is Friday, August 28th 2026, and this is The American Conservative's Morning Brief. Six months into the Iran War, American materiel is depleted, Gulf energy flows remain choked, and Brent crude sits near ninety dollars a barrel, with Jude Russo warning that Treasury's new "economic D-Day" sanctions push may invite escalation rather than a deal. The White House confirms no negotiations are under way even as Qatar's prime minister and Pakistan's army chief shuttle to Tehran, while Pakistan flatly refuses to join the new American sanctions regime. Another U.S. aircraft carrier is steaming toward the Middle East as gasoline hits a national average of four dollars and ten cents a gallon, tightening the war's squeeze on American households. and now for the details. We begin with the Iran War, which today marks six months since it began. As Jude Russo writes for The American Conservative, the most hysterical early predictions have not come to pass, but the reality is grim enough. Enormous quantities of American materiel have been expended without ousting the ayatollahs or extracting any settlement favorable to the United States. Persian Gulf energy flows remain constricted, Brent crude is hovering between eighty-five and ninety dollars a barrel, and Iranian retaliatory strikes have battered American bases across the region to the point that the U.S. military is hesitant to use them. Regional partners are faring worse: Qatari natural gas exports are down ninety-six percent since the war began. The administration's answer is more of the same. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent this week announced what he called "economic D-Day," ramping up sanctions and hinting that nations refusing to isolate Iran could be cut out of the dollar system. Russo notes that this is the sort of measure a country can only use once, and one that tends to invite serious unintended consequences. He points to the 2022 attempt to cut Russia out of SWIFT, which was supposed to bring Moscow to its knees within a month. Pakistan, which has served as a mediator between Washington and Tehran, has already said it will not cooperate with the new sanctions. Russo's judgment is that the negotiating table is a piece of furniture no one seems to love. President Trump said Wednesday he's "in no hurry" for a deal, and outgoing Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt spent her final morning at the podium touting "Operation Economic Outcast." Russo warns that if Iran's economy becomes untenable, Tehran may itself take the escalatory initiative, striking American and allied assets, including energy infrastructure. When you give and take in peace, he writes, that's a deal. When you give and take in war, that's a capitulation. Six months in, no end is in sight. Staying with the war, the White House confirmed Thursday that no talks with Iran are currently under way, even as mediators shuttle to Tehran. Jude Russo reports that Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News, quote, "No negotiations are happening right now, and this will continue until the president feels that maybe they come to the table in a meaningful way." President Trump echoed that message in a Wednesday interview with Al Jazeera, saying he has no timeline and is in no hurry. Meanwhile, Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed al-Thani visited Tehran Thursday, following a Monday visit by Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir. Pakistan, long a diplomatic channel between Washington and Tehran, said Thursday it will not participate in the new American sanctions. The Pentagon has announced that another aircraft carrier is heading to the Middle East for a roughly seven-month deployment. Brent crude opened Thursday at eighty-seven dollars and twenty-seven cents a barrel, and AAA reported a national average of four dollars and ten cents per gallon of regular gasoline — a direct pinch on American families at the pump. Those are today's highlights. For the full stories and more, visit theamericanconservative.com. Thank you for starting your morning with us.