From Bidenflation to Iranflation, the Price of Disrepute
Friday Flashpoint: April 10, 2026
J.D. VANCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: There are three different 10-point proposals at least that I've seen floating around. The first 10-point proposal was something that was submitted, and we think, frankly, it was probably written by ChatGPT that was submitted to Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. That immediately went in the garbage and was rejected. There was a second 10-point proposal that was much more reasonable that was based on some back and forth between us, between the Pakistanis and the Iranians.1
U.S. inflation reached 3.3% in March 2026, marking a two-year high. This spike is almost exclusively attributed to a 21.2% monthly increase in gasoline prices, the sharpest rise since 1967.2
This is less than optimal. An insolvent America is an irrelevant America. The American worker is struggling, and the president’s war against Iran has made Americans poorer. They did not sign up for $70 to fill their tanks for their commutes. While Biden was criticized for an overheating economy, Trump faces a war tax at the pump that he cannot wish away.
Islamabad (the city of Islam) the Pakistani capital is hosting talks between the United States and Iran. The US delegation is led by Vice President James D. Vance,3 a man not known for his skill in diplomacy and most famous for blowing up the Feb 28, 2025 meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Vance got into it again with Zelenskyy this week during Vance’s intervention in the Hungarian election. The Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban, accused Ukraine of blocking the flow of Russian oil through the Druzhba pipeline. Let’s take note:
Hungary a NATO member is buying oil from Russia.
NATO and the EU are aiding Ukraine against Russia.
This oil must flow through a pipeline that goes through Ukraine, the country Russia is invading.
Ukraine says that a Russian drone attack damaged the pipeline and it is working to fix not block it.
Hungary blocked a $100 billion loan from the EU to Ukraine in retaliation for the Ukraine “blocking” the oil.
Zelenskyy then reportedly said he should give the address of those responsible for blocking the loan to the Ukrainian Army.
That’s the dispute; as you see, there is a lot going on.
Vance then, instead of staying out, said that Zelenskyy’s “threat” was scandalous, but not that Hungary blocking the loan for an embattled Ukraine was scandalous. Viktor Orban has long been seen as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s best friend in the EU, and many think he blocked the loan because of his support for Putin, dependence on Putin’s oil, and because Ukrainians and Hungarians have historic animosity. Vance’s comments and interference in the Hungarian elections scheduled for April 12 will continue to lower his standing in Europe.
Back the Islamabad talks
Leading the Iranian delegation is the speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. Also included in the U.S. delegation are Steven Charles Witkoff, a New York real estate developer, and Jared Corey Kushner, U.S. President Donald John Trump’s son-in-law. However, both men are under increased scrutiny in the US for ties to Israel, and because less than 48 hours after Witkoff and Kushner met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Geneva, Switzerland, the US and Israel attacked, starting the war they—supposedly—hope to end at these negotiations in Pakistan.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) openly maintains that the Geneva talks were a strategic feint. From their perspective, Witkoff was used to provide a diplomatic smoke screen while the military finalized war plans. The US has forfeited its reputation, and this clouds the talks.
America and Israel Divergence
Iranian Foreign Minister Araghchi has said that the American refusal to rein in Israeli strikes in Lebanon is “dumb.”4 Israeli PM Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu faces serious criminal corruption charges, was indicted back in 2020, and has three separate cases against him. The Iranians allege—and they are not alone—that Bibi is pushing for war and other military action to delay his trial and shift the narrative from accused corrupt politician to necessary war leader. The trial has been remarkably delayed. First COVID-19, then elections brought Bibi back to power, then the wars in Gaza, Iran, and now Lebanon. Each has been used by Netanyahu to lengthen the trial and shape the public narrative. Iran therefore thinks he is not trustworthy, as war is to his advantage and peace means Israel has to deal with core domestic issues like political corruption. Vance, for his part, thinks the Iranians would be “dumb” if they let the peace talks fall apart because of Israeli attacks on Lebanon, but to the rest of the world, the US Vice President is not making sense. Lebanon is suffering from an Israeli invasion, which Israel claims is to remove the threat from Hezbollah, a Shia political party and militia that is allied to Iran. However, Iran claims, correctly, that the Israeli military operations in Lebanon are part of the same war and of course would be covered by the same ceasefire.
On this point, the US is losing more global credibility. Pakistan brokered the ceasefire, a fact acknowledged by all, which is why the peace talks are taking place there. However, Pakistan also says that Lebanon was included in the ceasefire as it was supposed to be Middle East region-wide. Who is to blame for the confusion? Israel or Pakistan?
Either way, Iran has preconditioned the ceasefire on Israel stopping its attack on Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The ceasefire may prove to be a mirage, and the US could be at war again by this time the Monday bell rings on Wall Street.5
https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/tsiem/date/2026-04-09/segment/01
Financial Times https://www.ft.com/content/7573b421-9c1e-4203-8477-7414f82eb248?syn-25a6b1a6=1
born James Donald Bowman, formerly known as James David Hamel.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/4/9/iran-says-it-would-be-dumb-for-us-to-let-netanyahu-kill-diplomacy
As the youth would say today “clock it.”