Having amassed the heaviest US air power in the Middle East since the disastrous 2003 Iraq invasion, President Trump is now considering an initial, limited strike on Iran to force it to bow to the maximalist demands of Israel and the United States. The idea is based on two deeply questionable premises:
that air strikes alone will compel Iran to give up its defensive ballistic missile capabilities, and halt all nuclear enrichment
that Iran won’t retaliate for an American “limited strike” in a way that sends the United States, Israel, Iran and perhaps even Russia and China racing up an escalation ladder
Reported by the Wall Street Journal, the single-strike scenario is an alternative to the idea of a sustained, weeks-long military campaign that would not only target nuclear sites, but also state and security facilities. The Pentagon has been actively planning for such an onslaught, and one official told Reuters that the administration fully expects such a campaign would trigger Iranian retaliation and a series of strikes and reprisals that last far longer than last summer’s 12-day war that was initiated by Israel.
While Israel-catering warmongers like to portray Iranian leaders as unstable religious zealots, the Iranian government has demonstrated …read more
Source:: Ron Paul Institute
