Three costly mistakes Trump has already made in Iran

Americans and foreigners alike have questioned the wisdom, necessity and international law justification for the U.S.-Israel war on Iran. They tend to ignore the reality that, in one form or another, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been at war with both countries — which it calls “the Great Satan” and “Little Satan,” respectively — since it seized power in 1979 under the slogan, “Death to America, Death to Israel.”  

Iran shares its violent enmity toward the U.S-led rules-based order with the criminal regimes of Russia, China and North Korea, all three armed with nuclear weapons and supportive of Iran’s efforts to become a nuclear power itself, in violation of international law. The four members of this axis of evil exchange mutual economic, diplomatic and military assistance in their individual and collective animus toward the West.  

The agenda was formally set by the Joint Russia-China statement of February 2022 declaring the two governments’ relationship a “no limits” strategic partnership just weeks before Russia dramatically escalated its invasion of Ukraine. China supports Russia’s ongoing aggression, and Vladimir Putin has reciprocated by endorsing China’s designs on Taiwan. The makings of a multi-front assault on U.S. interests are now in place. 

There is a long history of such hostile collaboration against the U.S. and its allies. Russia and China massively supported North Korea’s invasion of South Korea from 1950 to 1953; more recently, in the war in Ukraine, North Korea has sent fighting forces to Russia to help it repel Ukraine’s counter-incursion into the Kursk region. Since 1979, Iran has made it an active four-party assault on the West. 

The experience........

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