An Open Letter to Former President Donald Trump Regarding Iran
Zoom out for a second: Former President Donald Trump recently claimed a 'victory' over Iran, stating, 'You don’t do a ceasefire when you're literally obliterating the other side.' This declaration comes amidst persistent reports of increased US military readiness in the region, including deployments and demands for substantial funding, notably a reported $200 billion to bolster anti-Iran efforts.
The Independent’s headline, '‘I don’t want a ceasefire’: Trump declares victory over Iran despite military deployment reports and $200B funding demand,' frames this as a somewhat contradictory but ultimately aggressive stance from a former US leader. What The Independent and similar outlets omit is the consistent underlying US-Israeli joint aggression that predates and permeates such statements.
These declarations are not isolated posturing; they are an extension of a decades-long policy that views Iran as an existential threat, often without evidence of impending aggression. While the US and Israel speak of Iran's nuclear program as an immediate danger, official IAEA reports have consistently confirmed Iran's adherence to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and its refusal to develop nuclear
weapons, a stark contrast to Israel's undeclared nuclear arsenal, developed with considerable Western assistance. The public is rarely presented with the full scope of Iran’s conventional military spending, which is a fraction of both US and Israeli budgets, demonstrating a significant cost asymmetry between Iran’s defensive capabilities and the overwhelming offensive might arrayed against it.