LOS ANGELES.–President Donald Trump said that there nothing much he can do to end the current war between Israel and Iran. For years the crypto-proxy war has been waged by Iran against Israel through Iran’s various proxy groups, including Hamas, Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi rebels. So, when it comes to the current conflict, it’s a long time in the making. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei decided long ago it was the official Iranian policy to destroy Israel, aligning itself with radical groups like Hamas. Hamas, of course, committed the latest Nazi-like atrocity on Israel Oct. 7, 2023, massacring 1,200 Israelis, taking another 251 hostages. Hamas has the cash-and-arms backing of Hamas, though it said it was not involved or had no advance knowledge of the Oct. 7 attack. So, when it comes to the current war with Iran, it’s a consequence of the Ayatollah’s policy.
Calls by the global press for a truce between Iran and Israel have fallen on deaf ears for now. Ayatollah Khamenei pledged he would destroy Israel but has little means at his disposal to do it, considering he has no real air force. Israel, on the other hand, rivals the U.S. air force capabilities with skilled pilots and arsenal of F-16 and F-35 fighter jets, but, more importantly, the top-gun stills to carry out the most sophisticated bombing missions. Former Israeli Defense Forces Spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Cornicus, said Israel is engaged in a mission to neutralize the Iranian nuclear threat. Since Trump ended the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPOA] May 8, 2018, Ayatollah has been enriching uranium to 60%, right below weapons grade material. Most nuclear experts see that as a prelude to Iran building a nuclear bomb, despite Iranian denials.
Netanyahu’s strikes on Iran’s military nuclear enrichment sites started Friday, June 13, have been continuing daily, with Israel’s air force having unobstructed access to Iranian airspace. Netanyahu has ordered the Israeli military to degrade Iran’s missile defense systems and ballistic missile production facilities, all designed to weaken Iran’s deterrence, leaving the regime vulnerable to a potential coup d’etat. Shah of Iran’s son, Reza, called on all Iranians with any patriotism to Iran to end Ayatollah rule over Iran. How much clout Reza has with the resistance in Iran is anyone’s guess. But in keeping the war going, the Ayatollah risks degrading his defensive and military capabilities to the point of a potential coup d’etat. Khamenei vows to destroy Israel, but, much like other Mideast fiefdoms, they have more bark-and-bite, leaving them exposed as weak and disorganized.
Trump urged both sides to resolve their conflict peacefully, saying Iran had another shot at a new nuke deal that would end the Iranian nuclear threat. Trump held five prior peace talks aimed at controlling Iran’s nuclear enrichment program. Another round of talks was cancelled for today that would have made Israel’s military operation unnecessary. Trump’s chief envoy Steve Witkoff was willing to consider a proposal by Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi for the U.S. to let Iran continue enriching uranium but sell its stockpile to the U.S. for future use in a new generation of carbon free nuclear power reactors. Trump was willing under U.N.’s IAEA supervision to let Iran continue enriching Uranium. Ayatollah, like former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, uses his nuclear enrichment program as deterrence, keeping foreign power guessing why he’s enriching to 60%
Before the March 20, 2023 Iraq War, Saddam Hussein refused to allow IAEA’s former Director-General Hans Blix to inspect his weapons stockpiles. Blix would have urged former President George W. Bush to hold off on war with assurance that he possessed no weapons of mass destruction [WMD]. But Saddam, like the Ayatollah, refused to cooperate with the IAEA who said recently that Iran was out of compliance with its nuclear enrichment program. Netanyahu considers Iran an existential threat because of Iran’s hypothetical nuclear threat. But Netanyahu doesn’t know whether or not the Ayatollah has an active bomb-making program. So, like Saddam Hussein, he left Israeli officials thinking the worse that he was actively working on a nuclear bomb. Israeli air strikes have already degraded Iran’s air defenses and killed over 20 senior Iranian commanders.
Everyday that the Ayatollah keeps firing missiles at Israel, Netanyahu continues his relentless bombing campaign taking out more of Iran’s military infrastructures. If allowed to continue much longer, Iran would be left no different than Hamas and Hezbollah, resorting to only throwaway missile strikes for its defense. Trump told the Ayatollah that he had another chance at coming up with a new nuke deal, putting his uranium enrichment program under IAEA supervision. Former IDF chief Cornicus said Israel’s Operation Rising Lion would degrade Iran’s military defense in short order to the point that it only has what’s left of its ballistic missile program. Cornicus no longer sees Hamas, Hezbollah or the Houthis are a threat to Israeli national security. Iran only remains a threat because of the hypothetical possibility of one day building an A-bomb.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
