Iran war mini-crises risk cascading into global economic collapse

A series of mini-crises triggered by the Iran war—spanning energy, inflation, trade, slowing global growth, and investment uncertainty—may escalate into a full-blown economic collapse, according to some experts. While many analysts focus on systemic resilience, citing the global economy's ability to absorb shocks like US tariffs, they overlook the cumulative risk. The United States under President Donald Trump may be forcing Europe and Asia to bear their own defense costs, positioning the US as the sole economic beneficiary of the conflict it initiated with Israel. Experts across economic, financial, and geopolitical fields have failed to synthesize these threats, instead emphasizing resilience. Eswar Prasad, professor of trade policy at Cornell University, expressed optimism that the economy would withstand the war's fallout, but such views miss the potential for a cascade of blows to provoke a collective fall.