War Comes Home: Iran's Kill Orders Put America on Edge

America and Israel went in hard against Iran, expecting a quick, clean win. Instead, they kicked the hornet's nest — and now the whole world is reeling. Iran struck back with ruthless precision, cutting off the Strait of Hormuz and triggering a global energy crisis that hit America where it hurts most. That masterstroke forced Trump to rethink his next move. But the bigger fear now isn't oil prices or shipping lanes. It's probably the war coming home.

According to US media reports, the Department of Homeland Security has issued a warning to government departments and companies to beware of terrorist attacks and cyberattacks, and the FBI has also increased its vigilance against terrorist attacks. In addition, Nobel laureate Krugman sounded the alarm, saying that the war could trigger a financial crisis and burst the stock market bubble.

Kill Orders and Rising Terror Threat

The US-Israeli killing of Supreme Leader Khamenei — followed by indiscriminate bombing and mass civilian casualties — has dramatically raised the terror stakes on American soil. CNN and other US outlets report that the DHS issued a "Critical Incident Memorandum," revealing that two Iranian religious leaders issued fatwas — kill orders — calling on Muslims worldwide to avenge Khamenei's death. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps followed with its own operational command: "The enemy will no longer be safe anywhere, not even home".

Iran's religious leaders have issued fatwas to avenge blood debts, sharply raising the terrorism risk on US soil. The DHS has issued a warning and placed the country on high alert.

The DHS has instructed government agencies and businesses to heighten vigilance, with a particular focus on "lone wolf" attacks. The FBI has similarly raised its counterterrorism readiness, with energy facilities flagged as especially high-risk. Law enforcement agencies nationwide have stepped up their alert levels across the board.

Cyberattacks and Sleeper Networks

Beyond physical violence, security agencies are warning of a serious Iranian cyber threat. US defense contractors sit at the top of the target list — and those with close ties to Israel face an even steeper risk from Iranian "hacker brigades".

This is no idle speculation. US media report that security services recently intercepted encrypted communications from Iran, suspected to be covert instructions issued to sleeper networks inside the United States — potentially coordinating some form of action. The intercepts have put security agencies on the highest state of alert, with little room for error.

The fatwas are not empty rhetoric — Khamenei's killing is a blood debt demanding repayment. Even if Iran's military doesn't strike directly, proxy actors may step in to do the job. The longer this conflict drags on, the greater the risk of a terrorist attack on American soil.

Krugman's Three-Alarm Financial Warning

The threat to the American homeland goes well beyond terrorism. Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman has issued a stark warning: this war could ignite three separate financial crises at once.

Nobel laureate Krugman has sounded the alarm, warning that the US-Iran conflict could trigger an American financial crisis and potentially burst the stock market bubble.

First, private credit. Krugman argues the war threatens oil supplies and shipping at precisely the moment when US financial markets are far more fragile than they were. The most immediate danger, he says, is a blowup in the private credit sector.

Second, the stock market. Krugman raises a pointed question: will this war prick the equity bubble? The S&P 500's price-to-earnings ratio was low in 1978 but is extremely elevated today. If the war inflicts serious economic damage on the United States, those lofty valuations simply cannot hold. In other words, the collapse could ride in on the coattails of this conflict.

Third, Middle Eastern financial hubs. Cities like Dubai — now sitting inside a war zone — have become critical nodes in the global financial system and magnets for the ultra-wealthy. If major upheaval disrupts Dubai's new role, the damage will ripple outward into the world economy, and America will not escape the fallout.

The Fire Is Already Burning

Krugman insists he has no desire to spread doomsday talk — but his warnings are deadly serious. As he put it bluntly, "There are many stresses on our economy, and this could be the straw that breaks the camel's back — a straw that becomes heavier the longer the war goes on". Finance insiders share the same worry: let the conflict drag on or escalate, and the fire will spread to global markets, with America bearing the brunt.

Trump is a businessman, and it's time he thought like one. The fire is already burning on American soil. If he acts in his rational self-interest, the exit ramp is right in front of him. Wait too long, and there won't be a controlled withdrawal — just mutual destruction, everyone going down together.

Lai Ting-yiu

What Say You?

** The blog article is the sole responsibility of the author and does not represent the position of our company. **

The US-Israel alliance has ignited a war against Iran, throwing global markets into absolute chaos. Oil prices shattered the US$100-per-barrel mark today （March 9） and are hurtling toward US$120, while Asian stocks cascade and economic shockwaves hammer the United States. President Donald Trump projects outward calm, but a swift victory has proven completely elusive.

Evangelical leaders gather at the White House to bless Trump’s "holy war" against Iran—an unsettling spectacle of spiritual rallying.

Cornered by Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, Trump let slip today that he is already discussing an end to military operations with Israel, conceding that he will "make a decision at the right time, but everything’s going to be taken into account."

The reality is, Trump is actively hunting for an escape hatch. In a telling move, Trump recently summoned evangelical pastors to the White House to lay hands on his shoulders and pray for divine guidance. The goal is clear: manufacture religious fervour to shore up his sinking base and pray his way out of a worsening crisis.

Staging this unconventional "spiritual rally" right now serves a calculated political agenda. Make no mistake: the White House is weaponising the evangelical community’s mobilising power to rally believers behind Trump's "holy war." It is a desperate bid to reverse his collapsing approval ratings.

Weaponising Faith for Survival

Evangelicals form the most deeply conservative Christian bloc in America, anchored in the Southern and Midwestern "Bible Belt." They are the Republican Party's ultimate voting machine and Trump's bedrock of support. During the 2024 presidential election, the vast majority of registered white Christian voters threw their weight behind Trump, driven by a deep-seated hostility toward Kamala Harris.

Public blowback against the Iran campaign is intensifying by the day. Latest polls reveal only 27% of American respondents support the offensive, while a staggering 43% oppose it, and 56% conclude Trump is simply "too eager to use military force to solve problems."

Starved of mainstream support, the president is falling back on a familiar playbook. By summoning pastors to bless his war effort and firing up his propaganda machine, he aims to stoke religious fanaticism among conservative Christians. It is a tactical play to re-energise his die-hard loyalists and project an illusion of absolute strength.

Desperate to reverse his collapsing poll numbers, Trump stokes religious fervour to pray his way out of a worsening crisis.

A Dangerous New Crusade

Another core objective behind this carefully choreographed spectacle is to sanctify the bloodshed in Iran. The optics were meticulously staged: Trump seated at the iconic Resolute Desk, surrounded by pastors murmuring prayers with their hands resting on his shoulders. The entire scene dripped with heavy religious ritual. They called upon God to "continue to give our President the strength that he needs to lead our great nation", to ultimate victory. Ultimately, the ceremony played out like a divine blessing bestowed upon a crusading king, draping a brutal military offensive in the sacred robes of holy war.

Experts warn that Trump is deliberately framing the Iran offensive as a righteous crusade to vanquish evil. The narrative draws a direct, unsettling parallel to the Crusades of a millennium ago, when Christian armies marched out to crush the Islamic empire and reclaim the holy city. History shows those ancient Crusaders left behind mass slaughter and rivers of blood in their wake. If Trump is truly modelling today's conflict on that ancient eastward conquest, the implications for global stability are profoundly terrifying.

This aggressive push to "sacralise" himself and the MAGA movement is hardly a new tactic. Trump has long weaponised his alliance with evangelicals, cloaking his post-election agenda in claims of divine mandate.

To cement this bond, Trump took the unprecedented step of establishing a White House Faith Office. He installed Paula White—chair of his Evangelical Advisory Board and the woman in red standing beside him during the recent prayer event—to lead it. Known for her emotionally explosive style, White famously delivered a feverish prayer during the 2020 election. She screamed "strike, strike, strike" while summoning angels to defeat evil, creating a spectacle that bordered on cult-like worship.

Running Out of Miracles

Confronted by a rapidly spiralling crisis, Trump is instinctively reaching back into his old bag of tricks. He is summoning "sacred energy" to project dominance and hoisting the banner of "fighting evil" to salvage his political survival.

Yet, such action simply overlooks the hard truth of the battlefield. The administration is sinking deeper into an unwinnable quagmire every single day. The trap has already snapped shut, and this time, even divine intervention may not be enough to bail him out.