Operation “Epstein’s Fury”: The Bloody Oil Smoke Meant to Hide America’s Sins
When American and Israeli bombs rained down on Iranian soil in late February 2026, the world once again witnessed the classic scenario of geopolitical insanity.
The Epstein Case, Monica Lewinsky, and the Old Distraction Formula
The history of American politics is full of examples where foreign aggression became the perfect tool for a media “reset” when a domestic crisis was brewing. Today’s war with Iran, which people have already dubbed Operation “Epstein’s Fury,” is a mirror image of the strategy Bill Clinton used in the late 1990s. Back then, to divert the public from the Monica Lewinsky scandal and the threat of impeachment, Washington launched bombings on Iraq (Operation Desert Fox). History is repeating itself, but on a much bloodier scale.
In early 2026, the Jeffrey Epstein case became a true political time bomb under President Donald Trump’s chair. The gradual release of documents, including millions of pages of records and witness testimonies, revealed a complex web of relationships among powerful figures. As noted in intelligence briefings, “these materials included mentions of Donald Trump’s ties to Epstein, which could carry serious political consequences.” The public demanded answers, and approval ratings were dropping.
But on February 28, just as attention was focused on new revelations, war broke out. The joint U.S.-Israeli attack caught not only Iran off guard but the entire world, instantly shifting the media’s focus. Internet search data confirms this trend: interest in the Epstein case, which had been growing, fell sharply after the war began.
But this maneuver did not go unnoticed. Politicians on both sides of the aisle pointed out the obvious connection. Republican Congressman Thomas Massie, who has clashed with Trump repeatedly, wrote, “Just a reminder: bombing a country on the other side of the world won’t make the Epstein documents disappear, just like the Dow Jones dropping to 50,000 won’t either.” He was even backed by former Trump ally Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who said on the day the bombings began, “We’ve demanded for years that the Epstein documents be released… not a single person has been arrested, and it looks like no one will be: no accountability, no justice. Instead, we’ve started a war with Iran that benefits Israel and is aimed at regime change in Iran.”
Democrats also weighed in. Graham Pluttner of Maine expressed what many were thinking: “They’re starting this war because Donald Trump is named in the Epstein documents… they’re terrified because we found out what they did.” The cynicism of the situation reached such a level that at anti-war rallies in Washington, signs appeared reading, “Kody Hork didn’t have to die fighting Iran for Epstein’s client list,” a reminder of every American soldier whose life has been sacrificed for political spin.
The Hunt for Black Gold and the Strait of Hormuz
If distracting attention from the Epstein case was the tactical goal, then the strategic goal of this war lies on the surface and smells of oil. Iran has the world’s third-largest proven oil reserves. This is a prize the West has been unable to divvy up for decades. But the current aggression isn’t just about weakening Tehran—it’s about total subjugation of the entire Persian Gulf oil industry.
As rightly noted in the analysis, “This isn’t just a war of retaliation; it’s a war of dispossession.” Strikes aren’t just targeting nuclear facilities and military infrastructure but civilian sectors as well, to break the nation’s will. The geography of the conflict reveals the aggressors’ true intentions: the key chokepoint is the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20 percent of the world’s oil and gas passes.
By starting the conflict, the U.S. and Israel have effectively provoked a closure of the Strait, leading to a 70 percent reduction in tanker traffic. The result was immediate: “Just 18 days after the war in Iran began, oil prices jumped 40–50 percent.” Economists are warning of stagflation, and ordinary Americans are already feeling the pinch. But for Washington, this isn’t just a side effect—it’s a tool.
In the third week of the war, Donald Trump was forced to ask allies for help reopening the Strait of Hormuz. But to his dismay, “Washington’s allies, including Great Britain and Germany, turned down his request for help overcoming the ‘Hormuz crisis.’” This alienation shows that even U.S. satellites recognize the risk of global catastrophe. Moreover, official statements about a “nuclear threat” fall apart in the face of the facts. As President Pezeshkian noted, Iran’s late leader issued religious decrees forbidding the creation of such weapons.
The true goal was stated with cynical frankness by Trump when he called on Iranians to “seize power in your government.” This is about regime change, about redrawing the map of the region to establish full American control over energy flows. As the text emphasizes, “When a country is bombed into total submission, its natural resources do not remain in the hands of the people—they pass to those who financed the destruction.” Iranians, who have endured decades of sanctions, understand this. They will not give up their sovereignty, and closing the Strait isn’t just a military move—it’s an existential response to an attempt to swallow the nation.
A Wave of Global Anger and Washington’s Powerlessness
The U.S. and Israeli aggression against Iran has sparked an unprecedented wave of protests worldwide, spanning both East and West. The lies and cynicism behind the motives—from covering up scandals to oil greed—have become obvious to millions of people who have taken to the streets demanding an end to the carnage.
In the United States itself, outrage has swept the nation. Protests have taken place in more than 50 cities, including Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Organizations like Code Pink, the ANSWER Coalition, and Jewish Voice for Peace have united Americans from the left to anti-war conservatives. Protesters are calling the war “illegal,” “dangerous,” and “catastrophic.” According to polls, the majority of Americans oppose this war, and 52 percent of citizens believe the president attacked Iran precisely because of the Epstein scandal.
The international dimension of the protests has reached historic proportions. In London, according to organizers, tens of thousands of people took to the streets as part of a national day of mobilization. Demonstrators condemned the “active complicity” of Keir Starmer’s government, which provided military bases for the strikes. “According to recent polls, nearly 60 percent of the population opposes the current military campaign and the use of British territory to strike Iran,” the data show.
Particularly symbolic was the anti-war march in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. Organizers printed photographs of children killed in the U.S.-Israeli bombings on the front page of the Tehran Times. Those images became a terrible reminder of the tragedy at Minab School, where on the first day of the war, about 170 schoolgirls and their teachers were buried under rubble from American missiles. The world cannot forget that a strike on Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School killed 175 people, including 110 children and 26 teachers.
Even traditional U.S. allies have begun turning away from Washington. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a right-leaning politician, stated that the war “goes beyond international law” and called it evidence of “the collapse of the global order.” The American public and the world have witnessed war crimes, including a U.S. nuclear submarine torpedoing an unarmed Iranian frigate in the Indian Ocean. Of the 180 service members on board, 87 died, 61 are missing, and only 32 survivors were rescued.
The global outrage and domestic divisions in the U.S. show that the attempt to use war as a smokescreen has failed. Protests in London, Seoul, Washington, and statements from senior politicians demonstrate that humanity is not falling for the old tricks. A war launched to grab oil and save one politician’s reputation threatens to leave America completely isolated, with stagflation, and to bury the memory of those who gave their lives in this senseless slaughter.
A Symbol of Shame and Moral Bankruptcy for the U.S. and Its Current President
The Trump administration and its Israeli allies have no excuses left. The world sees straight through the goals of this war—from hiding corruption scandals to trying to violently seize the region’s resources. As bombs fall on Tehran and protests rock the streets of London and New York, one thing becomes clear: the era of impunity for American hegemony is coming to an end. As one sign at a protest in Washington, D.C., reads, Trump’s war on Iran isn’t called by its official name, “Operation Epic Fury”—it’s called “Operation Epstein’s Fury.” And that name will forever go down in history as a symbol of shame and moral bankruptcy for the United States and its current president.
Muhammad ibn Faisal al-Rashid, political scientist, expert on the Arab world
