March 5, 2026
Why did President Trump launch a war against Iran? Two reasons.
First, electoral polls indicated a dramatic victory for anti-Trump Democrats in this fall’s Congressional elections. This would put a welcome end to Trump’s campaign to establish one-man rule in the United States. Losing the Senate and/or House would open Trump up to a host of criminal accusations.
The huge attack on Iran was designed to distract attention from the still festering Jeffrey Epstein scandal that might bring Trump down. The attack on Venezuela was a dress rehearsal.
Second reason: Trump and his Maga Republicans are joined at the hip to Israel
and its powerful American financial supporters. They helped buy the quiescence of Congress, including $100 billion from the Adelson family of Israel. Israel’s far right has long been pushing Trump and his Republicans to launch a war against Iran, the bête noire of Israel.
This has now happened. Israel’s PM Netanyahu has his own legal problems stemming from charges of corruption. His high-profile court case has been on hold because of the War in Gaza. So, Netanyahu has kept that ugly Gaza conflict going to keep himself out of court. Trump has been giving unlimited support to Netanyahu to protect his own flank. Both leaders need a war to avoid the courts and voters.
Military pipsqueak Iran is accused of planning to attack the mighty United States. Trump’s people have dusted off most of the outrageous lies used by President G.W. Bush and Tony Blair to promote the totally illegal war against Iraq. Now we have ‘déjà entendu.’
Meanwhile, another interesting justification for the war has just surfaced. The US Ambassador to Israel, a religious crackpot and ardent Christian Zionist, Mike Huckabee, just proclaimed this week that it was God’s will that Israel occupy and annex most of the Mideast. This is a rerun from the 1920’s infamous call for a Greater Israel ‘from the Euphrates River to the Nile.’
Trump has not ordered his “Prophet” Huckabee to hush up. On an equally crazy tangent, Trump just announced he should be involved in the decision about who will be Iran’s next leader after just assassinating the last one.
I covered the 1980’s Gulf War between Iraq (backed by the US) and Iran and saw how valiant were Iran’s ‘Basij’ troops. Trump is headed right into another endless foreign war that no one wants – Israel excepted.
How would the US respond if China did exactly the same thing to Taiwan? Beijing will certainly cite Trump’ s bluster when the day comes. At least Trump may get his wish of becoming an American ‘war president.’ The very same Trump who dodged the draft in the 1960’s. Almost unbelievable.
Copyright Eric S. Margolis 2026
Calling a spade a spade. Been reading Eric for over 4 decades now (used to get the hardcopy Sunday Sun just for that!). Keep up the great work, Wric!
When you consider all the suffering American and Israel have inflicted on Iran. 47 years of crushing sanctions which killed hundreds of thousands, the endless lies about nuclear weapons despite Iran proving over and over they have none, opening the country to inspections only to have Israel use them to identify an murder Iranian scientists, Inviting their top general to a peace conference and murder him. Getting them to make deal after deal and break every one. Attacking without provocation during which you murder top people at home, blowing up entire apartment building to kill one person and murder dozens. Then doing a double tap air fuel explosion on an elementary school, killing 167 little girls, murdering the Ayatollah at home with his family, bombing scores of schools and hospitals, bombing civilian homes and today bombing a crowd of marchers in a holiday parade.
Add to this America is determined to return the hated Shah to the throne.
If America is stupid enough to sed ground troops into Iran make sure their commander is named Custer because and Iranian was asked about an American ground assault and he replied, “We are waiting for them.”. Now I am no military expert but I can say when the description of a battle starts with, “They were waiting for us.” It did not go well.
How Iranians feel about America right now any American soldier setting foot on Iranian soil will be lucky to return home.
The US is a rogue state; it no longer follows the ‘rule of law’ or international law. Hopefully, Iran can put it down.
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The execution of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was tragic. It’s been enlikened to bombing the Pope. He was a Theocratic autocrat. I’m pretty sure he he never wanted any wars. This was forced upon him by the US and Israel. He did not want nuclear weapons. He had declared a fatwa against having them. He is vilified by the western press. Maybe his successor will not be as peaceful. The twelve day war was ended because Iran stopped bombardment of the Israels; this time they may not be so lucky. There is, however, a terrible downside. As the US and Israel continue to lose, they could resort to nuclear weapons. Iran must resume nuclear conversations… not with the US and the IAEA, but with Pakistan and North Korea. For self preservation Iran must become a nuclear nation. I’m not so sure why Iran was chosen for conflict. They have never posed a threat to the US. They are, however, a ‘model’ for other middle east countries.
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I think Iran’s position is excellent. They have so many targets to choose from. It’s hard to choose the first one. They have the US missile sites, the US radar installations, the US bases, the US aircraft carriers, the US destroyers, Israel, the Strait of Hormuz, and countries that support the US war by providing landspace and airspace access for the Americans. This latter selection is problematic but is highly desireable. Many of the middle eastern countries are ruled by autocrats. They do not rule with the people’s best interests at heart. The populations of these countries is largely Shi’a Muslims (the peaceful ones). With a loss of these countries’ leaders there could be a lot of civil unrest in the middle east. Most of the countries populations support a free Palestine, but their leaders do not. It could get a lot more interesting.
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The US is complicit in Genocide in Gaza, and the bombing of schools and hospitals. These are war crimes and the rest of the world lets them. To reiterate, the US has become a rogue state. It’s more disturbing that Canada’s Prime Minister Carney is proposing to help the US. He should stay away from geopolitics. He’s p*ssed away more than twenty-four billion dollars in Canadian taxpayer’s money on the Ukraine. This money has likely come from Canadian social problems. Canada, much to our shame, has sided with the US. They have shown themselves not to be our friend.
I hope the Iranian government liberate ordinary Americans from the oppressive US government. Insha Allah!
Not just Huckabee are the lunatics reports are pouring in of military commanders telling their troops that the war is commanded by Jesus. And Marco Rubio is gleefully looking forward to the Apocalypse.
Then there is the issue of how the government and media here in Canada totally ignore the bombing of schools and hospitals and the war crime of sinking the Iranian frigate in India which I am certain Modi played a huge role in.
One thing that Trump is inadvertently doing is abandoning the high ground, and moving into the realm of bad optics. His recent aggressive moves make him far less credible as a critic of any aggression perpetrated by Putin or Xi. The Donald looks keen on pushing his own “special military operations”. The fig leaf of the “rules based World order” looks like it’s blowing in the wind. Welcome to the new World of might makes right?