The Iran war is shaping up to be the most damaging US conflict in decades, and the pain will hit young Americans hardest through jobs, college costs, and gas prices.

• The war is costing $1-2 billion a day, and Iran has locked down the Strait of Hormuz, which carries 20% of the world's oil and gas.
• Iran's goal is not to win militarily but to wreck Trump politically by tanking the US and global economy, so it will keep the chokehold going for months.
• Gas could hit $5-6 by July, unemployment could climb past 7%, and a recession looks likely by fall, just as colleges cut scholarships and AI shrinks entry-level jobs.
• The US bombing did not topple Iran's regime. It made it stronger, brought in a harder military leader, and Iran is still 6-9 months from a nuclear weapon.
• Trump's "Project Freedom" plan to run the blockade failed within 24 hours after Iran fired near US destroyers and hit a UAE oil facility.
• Pape warns the midterms and 2028 election will be the most dangerous in living memory, as economic pain stacks on top of five years of rising political violence.

Outlook: Expect higher gas prices, rising unemployment, and a long-running standoff with Iran that strains the US economy and politics deep into next year.