But there are existential wars which would threaten the future of the United States and elective wars which we choose to do. They are blocking the Straits of Hormuz to raise the price of oil and give that pressure on the United States. George Friedman: Well, they ideally would like the United States to go away and stop bothering them. In none of these wars did the United States come out victorious, because, for one thing, we didn’t have any. So what the United States really wants is not to have a nuclear Iran.