On February 28 the United States and Israel launched a massive aerial attack against Iran. This column will ask if this war is in America’s best interests.
Is this war justified? Yes. The Iranian regime has has declared itself an enemy of the United States and Israel for 47 years. They have killed hundreds of American service members in Iraq. Iran has sponsored several proxy armies that have terrorized the Middle East. Every American president since Bill Clinton has said that Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon.
The International Atomic Energy Agency reported that Iran had …” produced uranium up to 60% U-235 and accumulated 440.9 kg by June 2025. That is sufficient for building10-12 nuclear bombs. Further the IAEA expressed “concern that it could not verify the location, size or composition of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile . ..” Iran had several thousand long range missiles with heavy payloads and was building more. American negotiations with Iran about its nuclear weapons program were not productive.
Was it important to launch this war now? Yes.It was important to attack before Iran rebuilt its air defenses ,built more ballistic missiles and restarted its nuclear weapons program .
Has President Trump managed this war well ?
No. He should have presented the American people with reasons for a huge military buildup in the Middle East to allow public discussion, analysis and criticism. He didn’t. Instead our president has given numerous rationales for launching the war some of which weren’t based on facts. President Trump should have told the nation that there could be military casualties and serious economic disruption. He should have said that it is impossible to know with certainty how Iran would respond. He didn’t.
Our president should have sought authorization for the use of military force from Congress. He didn’t. That said, Congressional approval does not necessarily result in a desirable outcome. Lyndon Johnson received authorization for the Viet Nam War . George W. Bush had Congressional approval for the Second Iraq War and the invasion of Afghanistan . Each war resulted in thousands of American casualties and ended in strategic failure.
Did Israel drag the US into fighting Israel’s war? No. Statements have been made to support that allegation but they have either been taken out of context or are unreliable. For example, Joe Kent, , a top counter terrorism official , blamed Israel , “ its powerful American Lobby” and the news media for a “misinformation campaign” that duped President Trump. According to the New York Times , “Mr. Kent …has long had a penchant for conspiracy theories, suggesting without evidence that FBI agents could have been responsible for orchestrating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol”.
The US and Israel are allies and confer with each other. President Trump makes the key decisions. Our president told Netanyahu to accept a ceasefire in Gaza . Israel complied. During the 12 Day War ceasefire last June our president ordered Israel’s prime minister to recall airplanes that were already in the air to attack Iran. Netanyahu immediately complied.
Will the war hurt the US economy? Yes. It already has. If the war ends soon the economy will recover. If the war drags on for months there will be grievous damage to the national and international economies. Are we headed for another quagmire like Iraq ? Not likely as long as ground troops are not sent into Iranian territory. If ground troops are inserted a quagmire is more likely .
Could there be a war-ending ceasefire soon? Yes. There are several plausible scenarios. Here is one of them: The US will stop the bombing if Iran commits to ending its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs with UN inspections. Trump can then say he has won. The Ayatollah will realize that Iran’s war programs have already been seriously degraded anyway . The Ayatollah will then declare that Iran achieved victory simply by not surrendering. Iran will insist that the US end the economic sanctions it has imposed . Trump will agree. No weapons programs ergo no sanctions needed.
Israel will have to accept whatever agreement President Trump makes.
Will a post war Iranian regime be less oppressive against its own people ? Maybe. Iran is confronted with enormous problems like a failing economy and a huge water shortage. If the new Ayatollah addresses the peoples’ critical needs murdering and imprisoning dissenters will be less necessary.
Final thoughts: We need to separate our feelings about President Trump from the security needs of our nation. Trump failed to prepare the American people for this war and to obtain congressional approval. The war imposes real costs. However ending Iran’s ability to build a nuclear weapon makes our country safer . Taking everything into account this war is in America’s best interests.