Bloomberg Surveillance · Friday, September 11, 2026
Jack Devine assesses the post-October 7th Middle East landscape, noting that while the region is more unstable, Iran's influence has waned, becoming a 'powerful nuisance' rather than a dominant political force. He points to the weakening of Iran's nuclear capabilities and its allies as evidence of this shift.
“Well, I think what's really amazing to me, Lisa, is that it all started on October 7th. One event again. The Hamas attacked the Israelis, which led to A major shift in the Middle East. If we think back of Iran at that time, it was a major political force in the region. I would say today it's a powerful nuisance. But look at how it has changed. Iran itself is physically weakened. Its nuclear capabilities have been marginalized. Hezbollah, its strongest ally, the leadership has been wiped out. Hamas has been destroyed. Syria, a friend of Russia as well as Iran, has now shifted, changed its colors. So today... What I would say is the Middle East is much different, more unstable, but it represents the new world of asymmetrical warfare, economic attacks, and I think it's going to be messy. But it's not that Iran can possibly conceive of winning. They're very, very good in a negotiating table. They think they can win the negotiation, and I'm not betting against them.”