The US recognizes 196 other countries as independent states and has positive diplomatic relations with 193 of them — all but Bhutan, Iran, and North Korea.
We are now in uncharted territory. The American airstrikes against strategic nuclear installations in Iran represent a fundamental change in U.S. policy and may well lead to a wider conflict that could spiral out of control. The risks are huge, but the danger was clear.
President Donald Trump on April 4 warned the Iranian regime that it must open the Strait of Hormuz in two days if it wants to avoid escalating tensions.
The U.S. military has deployed several thousand additional infantry troops to the Middle East in recent weeks, raising speculation of imminent ground combat in the conflict with Iran.
The Trump administration’s messaging on America’s military involvement in Iran has been, to put it lightly, a mess. And it’s clear after listening to his remarks about the conflict that Sen.
The main reason is that Iran, although badly wounded, is still fighting. This week it began targeting commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, through which passes about 20 percent of the world’s oil supply. Two oil tankers were struck by Iran in Iraqi waters on Wednesday, setting them ablaze and killing one crew member.
Despite the heavy aerial and naval bombardment of Iran, the regime in Tehran is still intact, Iran retains control over the Strait of Hormuz, and the Iranian military is still capable of launching attacks against U.S.
Since the Iran war began nearly three weeks ago, President Trump has routinely (and accurately) boasted of America’s battlefield dominance. On an almost daily basis, he recounts how Iran’s navy, missile sites, and military infrastructure have been decimated or completely destroyed.
The results can be seen most clearly in Iran’s rapidly declining outbound missile and drone fire — by Day 5, down 90 percent and 80 percent, respectively. This feeds a virtuous cycle, greatly reducing the number of costly missile interceptors needed to protect civilian populations and infrastructure.
At a press conference on Monday, Trump declared the war would be over “very soon,” after saying last week that the war would likely continue for four to five more weeks. Earlier, he told CBS News that the Iran war is “very complete, pretty much.” But almost in the same breath as “very soon,” Trump said the U.S.
Hours after the joint U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran began on Saturday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen posted on X.com that she would wait 48 hours to convene a special security meeting on Monday, prompting widespread mockery about crises addressed only during “business hours.” Such jests laid bare the EU’s bureaucratic inefficiency and its hesitance to respond decisively when stakes are high.
If the war in Iran goes on too long, and if it doesn’t end with clear success on military and political terms, which is how it’s looking, MAGA will be hurt.
So if that’s true, if we “totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities just eight months ago, then why are we about to go to war with Iran? After all, the justification for U.S. strikes on Iran has always been that we cannot allow the regime in Tehran to obtain a nuclear weapon.
If cautious optimism was warranted then, it’s all the more appropriate now, a little more than 72 hours after the U.S. and Israel launched an air war against Iran. The results of a war with Iran — good or bad! — will almost certainly be more far-reaching than those of the Venezuela raid.
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