Where Will A War Against Iran Lead?
A Saturday Prompt on Breaking News
I was in the midst of writing a very different Saturday prompt about the nourishing power of art when news broke that Trump’s America, along with Israel, had launched a major attack today against Iran, including in Tehran. In announcing “major combat operations,” Donald Trump insisted in an eight-minute video that his intention is to stop Iran from building a nuclear weapon, devastate Iran’s military and force regime change. It’s hard to overstate the potential of this bombing assault to unleash not only Iranian retaliation against U.S. targets—which has already begun—but also a wider military conflict that may engulf the Mideast region.
In his statement, Trump said, “Our objective is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime, a vicious group of very hard, terrible people.” Besides stopping its nuclear operations—facilities that Trump had previously claimed were “completely and totally obliterated” after bombing strikes in June—Trump addressed Iran’s wide-scale terror operations that have targeted “the United States, our troops, and innocent people in many, many countries. From Lebanon to Yemen, and Syria to Iraq, the regime has armed, trained and funded terrorist militias that have soaked the earth with blood and guts.” That included, he said, the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas that killed more than 1,000 people, including 46 Americans.
Trump demanded that the “Islamic Revolutionary Guard, the armed forces and all of the police…must lay down your weapons and have complete immunity, or in the alternative, face certain death.” And to the people of Iran, to whom he said, “America is backing you with overwhelming strength and devastating force,” he added:
I say tonight the hour of your freedom is at hand. Stay sheltered. Don’t leave your home. It’s very dangerous outside. Bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be, probably, your only chance for generations. For many years, you have asked for America’s help, but you never got it. No president was willing to do what I am willing to do tonight.
It should be noted that Trump also posted an article from a right-wing news outlet along with this text: “Iran tried to interfere in 2020, 2024 elections to stop Trump, and now faces renewed war with United States.”
Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker, the Republican chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued this statement: “Today, our commander-in-chief took decisive action against the threat posed by the world’s leading proliferator of terrorism, the Iranian regime. This is a pivotal and necessary operation to protect Americans and American interests.”
Notably, Trump also received backing from Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada and his foreign minister, Anita Anand: “Canada supports the United States acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and to prevent its regime from further threatening international peace and security.”
Meanwhile, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, posted this on social media: “Netanyahu and Trump's war on Iran is wholly unprovoked, illegal, and illegitimate…Our Powerful Armed Forces are prepared for this day and will teach the aggressors the lesson they deserve.”
We can be sure that Trump’s attack will cause considerable bloodshed and may spur a growing military conflict that cannot be easily or quickly ceased. This from the man who insisted that he opposed regime change and “forever wars.” There is a reason, as Trump himself said, no president was willing to do what he has done.
So, as new information emerges in the coming hours and days, what is your initial reaction? Where will a war against Iran lead? Do you oppose it? Or is this a case, given Iran’s terror campaign for decades, in which you support military action? Lastly, do you think the chaos-loving Trump acted now because of his growing fear of the Epstein files and his desire for distraction?
As always, I look forward to reading your observations and the opportunity for the America, America community to learn from each other. Please do be respectful in your remarks. Trolling will not be tolerated.
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Back to Epstein where it started.
I absolutely oppose a war with Iran. This is his new distraction from being named in the Epstein reports.