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
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