August 25, 2026

The American Conservative Morning Briefing · Aug 25, 2026 · 4m

Good morning! Today is Tuesday, August 25th 2026, and this is The American Conservative's Morning Brief. On day 178 of the Iran War, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent unveils an "economic D-Day" targeting nations still trading with Tehran, as Iran vows to shut down Persian Gulf oil flows and Brent crude climbs past ninety-three dollars a barrel. Andrew Day argues that Trump, the self-declared nationalist-in-chief, has a curious blindspot — failing to anticipate that his aggressive posture activates nationalist backlash abroad, from a defiant Canada rallying behind Mark Carney to an Iranian…