Is US War on Iran Likely?

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)

Washington has been militantly hostile toward Iran since its 1979 revolution - ending a generation of US-installed tyranny.

During his presidential campaign and after taking office, Trump's hostile rhetoric on Iran is great cause for concern.

He alone was unacceptably belligerent in his September UN address. His comments desecrated the General Assembly.

He claimed nonexistent threats to US security, lied about America "not seek(ing) to impose our way of life on anyone," raged against North Korea maliciously, threatened to "totally destroy" the country.

He vilified Iran, lied calling its government "a corrupt dictatorship…whose chief exports are violence, bloodshed, and chaos."

"We cannot let a murderous regime continue these destabilizing activities while building dangerous missiles," he roared.

Ignoring Tehran's vital role in combating (US-supported) terrorists, he falsely accused its government of supporting them. He barely stopped short of declaring war on the Islamic Republic.

Are administration plans afoot to launch it? In mid-October, Trump announced his strategy on Iran, falsely accusing its government of "hostile actions," adding:

"Iran is under the control of a fanatical regime that seized power in 1979 and forced a proud people to submit to its extremist rule." 

"This radical regime has raided the wealth of one of the world's oldest and most vibrant nations, and spread death, destruction, and chaos all around the globe."

Trump falsely accused Iran of links to al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups. Just the opposite is true.

A tirade of other false accusations followed, including "continue(d) develop(ment) (of) certain elements of its nuclear (weapons) program." No such program exists, not now or earlier.

His announced strategy includes refusing recertification of the JCPOA nuclear deal, additional illegal sanctions, unspecified actions against its government, efforts to deny its nonexistent "paths to a nuclear weapon," and unexplained ways to counter its legitimate missile program.

Is a declaration of war next, at a time and invented pretexts as justification? He and Riyadh falsely accused Iran of involvement in a missile fired from Yemen at the Kingdom - an absurd accusation.

US/Saudi land, sea and air blockade prevents weapons from getting it to Houthi fighters from abroad, along with most everything else, including essentials to life.

Claiming Iran supplied Houthis with long-range missiles was a bald-faced lie. A Riyadh statement accused Tehran of "military aggression…an act of war against the kingdom of Saudi Arabia," adding:

The ruling regime "affirms the…right to respond to Iran in the appropriate time and manner." Does Trump have similar intentions?

Will Washington, Riyadh and Israel jointly attack the Islamic Republic at a time and way of their choosing?

Earlier US administrations prepared war plans on the country, updated several times, maybe again under Trump.

Is implementation coming? Will Trump risk embroiling the region in greater conflict than already? 

Will Israel risk Iranian missiles striking its cities and nuclear facilities in response to aggression on the Islamic Republic? Will Riyadh risk its oil fields being targeted?

Given America's rage for endless wars and global dominance, the worst of things is possible, including unthinkable catastrophic nuclear war against one or more countries.

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My newest book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

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