October 09, 2026

The American Conservative Morning Briefing · Oct 9, 2026 · 5m

Good morning! Today is Friday, October 9th 2026, and this is The American Conservative's Morning Brief. Philip Pilkington warns that Washington's fixation on the Strait of Hormuz is obscuring Iran's broader strategy of squeezing American financial markets, with Treasuries now trading like a meme stock and heating costs set to surge this winter. Brent crude spiked past $105 a barrel on reports the White House has asked the Pentagon for strike options against Iran ahead of the midterms, even as the President says he doesn't really want a peace deal. Jason Killmeyer proposes a 250,000-strong…