‘Chinese Nostradamus’ predicted Trump election and Iran war — now he’s made a bold new claim
A Beijing academic who’s picked up the nickname ‘The Chinese Nostradamus’ is going viral online after several of his political forecasts appeared to line up eerily closely with real events.
Professor Xueqin Jiang, an educator and writer who shares lectures through a YouTube and Substack project called Predictive History, previously foresaw Donald Trump returning to the White House for a second term as POTUS and that tensions with Iran would most likely escalate into all-out war.
As the Middle East crisis deepens, millions are now revisiting an earlier lesson of his titled ‘The Iran Trap’, searching for clues about what he believes may happen next, which includes a full-scale invasion carried out by US and UK troops, alongside other allied nations.
Jiang’s videos are released free online and focus on analysing historic patterns to anticipate future events. It’s a smart way of looking at what might happen in the world, seemingly inspired by a quote from his compatriot, the ancient philosopher Confucius — ‘study the past if you would divine the future’.
The Beijing-based professor has previously worked with Harvard’s Global Education Innovation Initiative research team, written a book on education reform and organised study abroad programmes at some of China’s most prestigious schools.
His 2024 lesson about Iran gained renewed traction after military strikes in the region triggered fears of a wider conflict. The lecture has since drawn millions of views as social media users circulate clips of the professor discussing the risks of a major war.
The crisis escalated when Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a co-ordinated military strike targeting Iran’s nuclear capabilities after diplomatic negotiations broke down.
Iran retaliated with a wave of strikes on countries across the Middle East that host US military bases. The attacks in Iran also killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei.
Back in 2024 Jiang wrote that a second Trump presidency could lead to a direct invasion of Iran. ‘If Trump were to win a second term, he would likely contemplate invading Iran,’ he said.
‘While an initial invasion would seem successful, American forces would quickly become bogged down in Iran’s mountainous terrain.’ He also predicted that the conflict would be framed as a mission to destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities and bring democracy to the region.
After the first wave of strikes on February 28, Trump released a video defending the decision to attack. His words echoed themes Jiang had previously suggested might be used to justify military action: ‘It has always been the policy of the United States, in particular my administration, that this terrorist regime can never have a nuclear weapon. I’ll say it again, they can never have a nuclear weapon,’ the president said.
Trump also condemned the Iranian government and insisted that military force was in America’s best interests.
As he often does to great effect, Jiang compared the possible course of the war to an event from ancient history. In his lectures he argued that the conflict could mirror Athens’ invasion of Sicily in 415 BCE during the Peloponnesian War. Commanders Alcibiades and Nicias launched an ambitious campaign but badly underestimated their opponents, which weakened the Athenian empire.
Jiang suggested the United States, under Trump’s leadership, could face a similar problem if it became drawn into a prolonged conflict with Iran in their difficult terrain. Just like the US did in the 1960s and ’70s in Vietnam.
He identified what he described as three forces pushing the US towards war with Iran. The first was the influence of the Israel lobby, including the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
The second was what he described as America’s reliance on global empire. ‘America is now addicted to empire, because empire represents easy money. All money has to be channeled through the US,’ Jiang said.
The third factor, he argued, was the long-running rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia, which has played out through proxy conflicts across the region.
Jiang also made several further predictions about the future of the conflict. He said a ‘full-scale US invasion of Iran’ could be launched in March 2027 with support from Israel and Saudi Arabia, alongside allies including the United Kingdom, Australia, the United Arab Emirates and Poland.
In interviews he has also argued that Iran holds strategic advantages in a long war. ‘The United States military is not designed to fight a 21st century war,’ Jiang said.
The renewed interest in his forecasts has drawn comparisons with famous prophetic figures such as Nostradamus and Baba Vanga, whose predictions are often revisited when world events appear to echo their dire warnings.