To the editor: In 1953, the U.S. helped overthrow Iran’s democratically elected president, Mohammad Mosaddegh, to ensure full access to “our oil.” The consequences of that act continue to reverberate.
Today, President Trump, flush with his victory in Venezuela, thinks he can, without restoring conscription, rightfully and rapidly conduct multiple simultaneous military adventures anywhere, ostensibly to defend democracy or slow nuclear weapon proliferation (“Iran holds more drills as U.S. carrier nears Mideast in latest preparations for possible war,” Feb. 19). But in reality, it’s all in service of his emperor-like quest to accumulate more power.
Forgetting or ignorant of the fates of Caesar and Napoleon, Trump has no concept of the consequences of his hegemony. In the case of Iran, its soldiers will relish the cause of defending the homeland from a colonial power, as U.S. soldiers, just as in Vietnam, ask why they must be there.
A U.S. attack on Iran may prompt a proxy war, with China and Russia secretly supplying arms to Tehran. We should also anticipate new and ongoing terrorism against us both at home and abroad. Trump should find an offramp and pull our naval forces out of harm’s way before a missile barrage takes a massive but unnecessary toll, potentially launching more than just regional conflict.
In short, mitigation of nuclear weapon proliferation is an international obligation, not a unilateral job for the U.S. on behalf of Israel.
Phil Barnes, San Pedro
