They are all mad
The U.S. and Israeli war on Iran theoretically could lead to World War III
Responding to the U.S. capture of Nicolas Maduro, who had been the president of Venezuela, and to the U.S. and Israeli war on Iran, “Dmitry Medvedev, one of Vladimir Putin's close allies and the guy he tagged in to be Russia's president so he could get around term limit laws, said Trump was on an ‘insane course’ which would lead to a third world war.”[1]
Certainly Donald Trump is likely psychotic and almost certainly a raging narcissist, but I’m inclined to think Medvedev is bluffing: Russia is already stretched thin with its war on Ukraine. Though Russia claims to be able to “completely” destroy the British Army with “two months of our work . . . using conventional methods,”[2] and is testing its public alert system (so-called “World War III sirens”),[3] when we speak of World War III, we may well be talking about nuclear war, which, despite occasional saber-rattling,[4] Russia has so far refrained from in Ukraine.
The claim about destroying the British Army is something of a straw person as Britain is unlikely to be alone in any post-war security arrangements for Ukraine—or in defense of NATO territory[5] or military bases,[6] some of which have come under attack by Iran. Indeed, the big problem with the Iran war, quite apart from the madness of U.S., Israeli, and Iranian leadership, is how rapidly it has become a regional war, impacting multiple countries.[7]
In the past, I have argued that in his pretensions to emulate Peter the Great,[8] Putin threatens North Atlantic Treaty Organization territory.[9] A Russian war with NATO would surely turn nuclear, particularly given the difficulties Putin has had in his efforts even to subjugate Ukraine. Which is why a story on where in the U.S. it is safest to be in the event of a nuclear war (short answer: nowhere)[10] is gaining fresh attention.
In essence, Medvedev is offering a pretext for such a war and it remains to be seen if Putin is sufficiently insane to take it up.
[1] Joe Harker, “Russia claims WW3 will ‘undoubtedly begin’ as it issues concerning warning to Western ‘pigs,’” LADbible, March 3, 2026, https://www.ladbible.com/news/world-news/russia-claims-ww3-will-begin-064214-20260302
[2] Vladimir Solovyov, quoted in Olivia Burke, “Russia tests WW3 warning sirens as state TV says it will wipe out British Army in ‘weeks,’” LADbible, March 4, 2026, https://www.ladbible.com/news/world-news/russia-iran-war-putin-warning-siren-test-ww3-british-army-warning-934946-20260304
[3] Olivia Burke, “Russia tests WW3 warning sirens as state TV says it will wipe out British Army in ‘weeks,’” LADbible, March 4, 2026, https://www.ladbible.com/news/world-news/russia-iran-war-putin-warning-siren-test-ww3-british-army-warning-934946-20260304
[4] Susan Hudson, “Nuclear war in Ukraine not likely,” University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, October 27, 2022, https://www.unc.edu/discover/nuclear-war-in-ukraine-not-likely/
[5] Times of Israel, “Iranian missile downed as it heads towards NATO member Turkey,” March 4, 2026, https://www.timesofisrael.com/iranian-missile-downed-as-it-heads-towards-nato-member-turkey/
[6] Alice Tidey, “Drone attacks on British base in Cyprus spark concern, but no NATO or EU response,” Euronews, March 3, 2026, https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/03/03/drone-attacks-on-british-base-in-cyprus-spark-concern-but-no-nato-or-eu-response
[7] Barak Ravid, “UAE considers striking Iranian missile sites as regional war spreads,” Axios, March 3, 2026, https://www.axios.com/2026/03/03/uae-iran-missiles-strike-israel
[8] Nathan Hodge, “Restoration of empire is the endgame for Russia’s Vladimir Putin,” Cable News Network, June 11, 2022, https://edition.cnn.com/2022/06/10/europe/russia-putin-empire-restoration-endgame-intl-cmd
[9] New York Times, “Ukraine Crisis in Maps,” n.d., http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2014/02/27/world/europe/ukraine-divisions-crimea.html
[10] Jordan King, “Map Shows Safest US States to Live During Nuclear War,” Newsweek, December 4, 2026, https://www.newsweek.com/safest-us-states-nuclear-war-attack-us-silos-1995408