This is an adapted excerpt from the March 9 episode of “The Rachel Maddow Show.”

As the Iran war stretches into its second week, one question emerging is, how has Iran been able to hit American military targets in the Middle East?

Some targets are obvious, like air bases or embassies. But for all the damage that has been done to Iran’s offensive capabilities, Iran has also reportedly hit things like a CIA facility in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; a naval command and control facility in Bahrain; and U.S. radar facilities across the gulf.

How was it able to find targets like that and aim its missiles and drones at American facilities with such specificity?

Well, according to reporting from The Washington Post, The Associated Press and MS NOW, Iran has been getting help from a sophisticated military ally in targeting U.S. personnel and U.S. military capabilities all over the Middle East.

The Post’s report was first, and it explained it bluntly: “Russia is providing Iran with targeting information to attack American forces in the Middle East.”

According to the Post, “Iran possesses only a handful of military-grade satellites, and no satellite constellation of its own, which would make imagery provided by Russia’s much more advanced space capabilities highly valuable.”

But Russia, as much as it may not want to see its ally under attack, is financially enjoying this moment.

On Tuesday, U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said the Russians have denied sharing intelligence on U.S. military assets with Iran.

“We can take them at their word,” Witkoff told CNBC. “Let’s hope that they’re not sharing.”

But, according to the reporting, this is the upshot: Russia is helping Iran by giving it targeting information, very specific locations, to attack American troops and American facilities.

And in response, under the leadership of Donald Trump, the United States has eased sanctions on Russia, allowing the country to sell its oil and gas more easily.

Russia is ostensibly an ally of Iran. Russia even issued a statement of congratulations when Iran chose Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes, as the country’s new leader.

But Russia, as much as it may not want to see its ally under attack, is financially enjoying this moment.

If you don’t count vodka and potash — a mineral used primarily in fertilizers — Russia basically has two things to offer the world: oil and war. 

Right now, it’s using its war-making abilities, including its intelligence and satellite technology, to help Iran target and kill Americans in the Middle East. I’m sure it’s enjoying seeing the U.S. burn up lots and lots and lots of missiles and interceptor munitions in the Middle East, so we’ll be less happy and less able to provide those to Ukraine to fight Russia.

Meanwhile, Russia’s other industry, oil and gas, is as happy as it’s been in a long time because of the huge spike in oil and gas prices worldwide, as its competitors in the Persian Gulf are basically knocked offline.

If Russia can just sell its oil and gas, the country will be rich again, which it desperately needs, given how it’s spending itself into oblivion in its endless Ukraine war.

And so, we now simultaneously have the U.S. intelligence reports that Russia is helping Iran target American personnel and military facilities in the Middle East, and the news that Trump has cut sanctions on Russia to ensure it can sell practically all the oil and gas it wants.

However, during a phone call on Monday afternoon with CBS News, Trump signaled that the war could be nearing an end.

“I think the war is very complete, pretty much,” he said.

But shortly after that, the president called a bizarre and incoherent press conference where he contradicted his earlier statements.

Later in the day, we learned that, in the middle of that swirling dust-devil of nonsense, Trump had an hourlong call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

We only learned about that call because the Kremlin told us about it. The White House didn’t announce it.

So, did the White House even know Trump had done it before the Kremlin told everyone it happened? Did he just call Putin from his flip phone? Was it while he was playing golf? Was it even in the White House calendar that Monday was the day Trump was supposed to check in with his boss?

The First Gulf War was because Iraq invaded Kuwait, and we wanted to make it un-invade it. The Second Gulf War, also known as the Iraq War, was because George W. Bush’s administration wanted somewhere else to invade besides Afghanistan, so it made up a fantasy about Iraq having weapons of mass destruction when it didn’t.

Gulf War III is now, and we started it. But, two weeks into the war, there is still no coherent explanation from the president or the White House as to what exactly this is all for.

Perhaps Trump offered a glimpse at a possible explanation during his rambling press conference on Monday when he said, “We’re doing this for the other parts of the world.”

The Wall Street Journal said the Iran war has caused “the most severe energy crisis since the 1970s.” CNBC called it “the biggest oil supply disruption in history.”

Because there’s no way to safely move it to market amid the U.S. attacks, Saudi Arabia has now cut its oil production.

It’s not only impacting the world’s fuel, but also its food. Huge amounts of fertilizer pass through the Strait of Hormuz for crops all over the world.

Iraq’s oil production is down to less than one-third of what it was before Trump started this war.

In Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain, major energy companies have declared “force majeure,” which basically means they’re saying that, because of events outside of their control, they can no longer be held to any contracts we previously signed.

It’s not only affecting the world’s fuel, but also its food. Huge amounts of fertilizer pass through the Strait of Hormuz for crops all over the world.

Raw materials related to the petroleum industry have also been choked off. A plastics plant north of Tokyo started to scale down production on Friday because it couldn’t get the raw materials it uses in its production process.

It’s also aluminum and other commodities, as facilities like smelters shut down for lack of fuel.

Bangladesh just closed its universities to conserve electricity and reduce the need for people to drive anywhere. Whole regions in the Philippines, including the capital city of Manila, have just moved to a four-day work week to try to save energy. Gas stations in Vietnam have started to run out of fuel.

The New York Times reported that Pakistan’s strategy is to hike gas prices so people hopefully stop driving, as a protective measure to try to preserve both the supply and the price of diesel for trucks and buses.

Maybe some of that will work. But, again, why did all this happen in the first place? What was all this for? 

Well, as Trump said, “We’re doing this for the other parts of the world.” I’m sure they’re delighted.

Allison Detzel contributed.