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To the editor:
On March 17th, Joe Kent, a one-time rising MAGA star, resigned as Director of the National Counterterrorism Center. In his resignation, Kent wrote “Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started this war due to pressure from Israel and its powerful American lobby."
Kent’s assessment aligns with remarks made by Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the war’s onset - "We knew that there was going to be an Israeli action … that would precipitate an attack against American forces … if we didn't preemptively go after them (Iran) before they (Israel) launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties."
I guess it never occurred to Rubio or President Donald Trump that we had other options; (1) withdraw our troops beyond the reach of Iranian weapons, (2) denounce any Israeli strike on Iran or (3) do both.
Not wanting to acknowledge being played by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump quickly walked back Rubio’s comments. Yet, the only rationale that makes any sense as to why we are at war with Iran is that Israel forced Trump’s hand.
The Iranian nuclear threat has always been an empty scare tactic. Remember Netanyahu holding up a cartoon bomb in front of the U.N. General Assembly in September, 2012 claiming Iran would have a nuclear device “within a year"?
Or Trump pulling out of the JCPOA deal (which guaranteed that Iran would adhere to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty they signed in 1970) shortly after Netanyahu’s two-hour presentation on April 30, 2018 entitled “Iran Lied."
It took nearly 14 years, but Netanyahu finally found a patsy to partner with in his long-desired war with Iran and we, the American people, are paying the price.
Joseph Cannisi
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Valete
We, the people, are well-acquainted with the secular version of the Iran War. We see and hear about it on the nightly news and read about it in letters and commentaries, such as this anti-Israel letter.
Few people are familiar with the Biblical prophecy, particularly Ezekiel 38-39. Numerous scholars interpret this prophecy to describe a future end-times attack on Israel by a coalition of nations, including Persia, widely identified as modern-day Iran. This conflict is often considered a key sign of the end times, with God intervening supernaturally to defend Israel.
The overarching message in this biblical passage is often interpreted as God’s protection of Israel and his control over history. This interpretation is primarily based on the biblical verse Romans 8:31, which states, “What then shall we say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?”
Wednesday, March 25 Report this
Valete
Former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), Joe Kent, resigned, raising two concerns. First, does Kent’s experience equate to wisdom? In his case, it doesn’t. Second, was he correct in his resignation letter that Israel is the primary reason for our war? The answer is no.
Joe Kent, a former Democrat and Bernie supporter, displays ideological flexibility rooted in opportunity rather than conviction.
The question of whether Israel compelled the U.S. into war is indeed more significant. Israel certainly has a vested interest in dismantling Iran’s current regime. Prior to Operation Epic Fury, Israel faced direct attacks from Iran and fought independently against Iran and its proxies.
The attacks on October 7, 2023, and the ongoing missile barrages highlight that Israel has consistently faced and continues to face immediate and persistent threats from Iran and its proxies. Any argument to the contrary would be based on ideology rather than reality. As early as 2001, former Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani openly discussed the catastrophic consequences of a single nuclear strike on Israel. For Israel, this threat is very real.
If you’re gullible enough to believe that Iran’s nuclear program is solely for peaceful “civilian” purposes, you haven’t considered why Iran has simultaneously developed a vast and sophisticated arsenal of ballistic missiles that are concealed deep underground. Could these be history’s first peaceful ballistic missiles?
Thursday, March 26 Report this
wpeakes
@Joseph Cannisi
You hit the nail right on the head! It's Trump's own ignorant arrogance that got us where we are in Iran right now and we will pay the price for this for generations.
Sunday, March 29 Report this
Valete
Iran’s sole objective from the very beginning was to annihilate the State of Israel. Denying this fact renders this entire debate utterly irrelevant!
Monday, March 30 Report this
Valete
Is this BiBi’s war, or is it a war for Israel’s survival? That’s the question.
For Netanyahu, the stakes at home are high. Few Israeli leaders have governed as long or controversially. He faced deep domestic opposition and legal troubles even before the war, and the trauma of the Oct. 7 attacks severely damaged his reputation for security competence.
Yet, wartime politics can change public opinion. Recent polls show a large majority of Jewish Israelis trust Netanyahu’s handling of the Iran conflict, even among those who criticize him elsewhere.
For Netanyahu, the war is the culmination of a lifelong argument about Iran and Israel’s regional position. For Israel and the Jewish world, it’s a strategic gamble with significant consequences.
Whether it proves visionary or a gamble that failed will depend on the one variable that even the most determined leaders cannot fully control — how the war ends.
Tuesday, March 31 Report this