1/7 The concern that striking Iran's power infrastructure will harm civilians is real and I don't dismiss it. But let's be honest about who has been doing the most damage to Iranian civilians long before any foreign missile flew.

The Iranian regime has spent 45 years destroying the very infrastructure its people depend on through corruption, mismanagement, and ideological obsession. No foreign invasion has caused what the Islamic Republic has inflicted on its own people. 2/7 Iran's power grid is in permanent crisis — not because of war, but because of the regime. The electricity deficit reached ~20,000 MW in early 2026 — roughly 1/3 of total demand — before a single U.S. strike. Aging plants, zero investment. Iranians have been living with rolling blackouts for years.

1/6 Israel just struck Iran’s Mahshahr Petrochemical Zone; one of the largest industrial complexes in the Middle East, located in Khuzestan Province. Tehran earns roughly $24 billion a year from petrochemicals (~$13B exports + ~$11B domestic sales), a key sanctions‑resistant cash engine for the regime. Here’s what each company produced and why it mattered militarily.

https://x.com/miadmaleki/status/2040482295845474476

2/6 Fajr 1 & 2 Petrochemical, Mahshahr. Fajr is the first and largest centralized utility provider in Iran’s Petrochemical Special Economic Zone – supplying power, steam, water and process gases to more than a dozen nearby plants. The UK flagged it as a WMD‑procurement concern in 2008, so taking Fajr down disrupts the entire zone at once.

1/11 Kharg Island is a 5-mile strip of coral in the northern Persian Gulf, but it handles ~90% of Iran's crude oil exports and earns Tehran the bulk of its ~$78B/year in energy revenue. President Trump called it Iran's "crown jewel." He's right.

https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2032591485883854991

2/11 Iran's oil accounts for just 3-4% of global supply — but 20% of the world's oil transits the Strait of Hormuz. That's the real leverage. Threatening Hormuz doesn't just threaten Iran's exports, it threatens Saudi, Iraqi, Kuwaiti, Qatari, and UAE energy flows. The strikes on Kharg are about protecting the 20%, not just punishing the 3-4%

This is potentially massive. Here's why the Bank Sepah data center hit matters far beyond delayed paychecks:

1/ Iran is already in the middle of a severe cash liquidity crisis. As of Jan 2026, banks were running out of physical banknotes daily, with informal withdrawal caps of just $18–$30/day. Cash in circulation surged 49% YoY due to panic hoarding. The regime simply cannot pivot to cash payments, there isn't enough physical currency in the system

https://x.com/miadmaleki/status/2031727778387628032

2/ Bank Sepah isn't just "a bank." In 2019-2020, five IRGC/Basij-affiliated banks, Ansar Bank, Mehr Eqtesad Bank (IRGC), Ghavamin Bank (police), Hekmat Iranian Bank, and Kosar Credit Institution (defense ministry), were all merged into Bank Sepah. Their ~1,800 branches still operate nationwide. This strike cripples the IRGC's consolidated financial backbone.

1/15 President Trump is the first American president to come to the rescue of the Iranian people and stand against this tyranny. That takes courage and historic vision.

What comes next can't be worse than the Islamic Republic. Believe me, I've lived there, and then witnessed firsthand while serving in the U.S. government how this regime destroyed this country, murdered, suppressed, and forced out tens of millions of generations of talented Iranians.

As a transition away from the brutal regime is taking shape, here is a key issue that needs quick attention: Targeted, phased, and strategic sanctions relief will be essential to empower a democratic transitional government in Iran, one that can deliver stability, national unity, and territorial integrity. 2/15 Time is the critical factor. A transition government will have 100–180 days to prove it can govern. Iraq, Libya, and Syria all show what happens when regime change comes without economic planning.

U.S. and E.U. economic sanctions relief and access to funds are necessary for a transitional government to pay civil servants, finance reconstruction, and prevent a power vacuum, including separatism among ethnic groups.