Gordon Robinson | Mission accomplished?

Two Saturdays ago, we woke up to news that joint USA/Israeli military strikes were conducted in Iran.

Consequent upon this illegal invasion, the likes of which hadn’t seen since February 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine, Iran’s Supreme Leader, members of his family, including his daughter, and senior officials were killed. Apparently, in an intelligence-based operation, a high level meeting between the Supreme Leader and his team was targeted.

As usual President Buffoon wasn’t clear about his objectives in starting a war in the mid-east certain to escalate to worldwide disorder. He said it was to destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities. But, last June, he said USA strikes had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Also diplomatic talks were underway and reportedly making progress. On Friday one leading Mediator said agreement was within reach.

Why now? What were ongoing negotiations about anyway? Allegedly they were for Iran’s agreement to limit nuclear ambitions. But Barack Obama successfully brokered just such a deal in July, 2015, between Iran on the one hand and the five permanent UN Security Council Members plus one (Germany) on the other. In that deal Iran agreed to limit its nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief and other provisions.

In 2017, as one of his first acts as President, Donut Trump tore up that deal. So what was he negotiating now? Or were “negotiations” smoke and mirrors while he gathered intelligence and prepared for war?

Obviously, the objective of an unprovoked war with Iran was NOT restriction of Iran’s nuclear capabilities. No nuclear capabilities were found at Supreme Leader’s targeted meeting.

In a later video, Donut announced his plan was “regime change” and urged Iranians to rise up and “take back your Country”.

Yawn.

I get that Donut loves to talk with only his mouth full. But, even he must know that, for Iranians, this goes beyond politics. Iranians are “ruled” by a brutal, autocratic, dysfunctional government. Iranians are trapped in a theocratic Dictatorship led by a Supreme Leader beholden only to religious dogma; a President beholden to Supreme Leader; and a twelve-member Guardian Council (6 clerics appointed by Supreme Leader; 6 lawyers) that vets candidates for elections and ensures legislation aligns with Islamic law.

The result has been decades of economic mismanagement, suppression of dissent, and ideological control. Iranians are alienated from their government. All attempts at reform are corrupted or crushed. Recently thousands of street protesters were systematically slaughtered by security forces using guns and knives. Stab wounds to eyes, chest and genitals, often fatal, were common ( The Guardian; January 27: Disappeared bodies, mass burials and ‘30,000 dead’).

Rest assured the average Iranian has little love for Iran’s government; less for its governance system.

But Iranians are neither stupid nor ignorant of geo-political history. They’ve seen how American intervention in countries like Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Afghanistan ended. Each was promised freedom but experienced turmoil, strife or foreign occupation.

Lookie here Donut: Iranians don’t trust USA; never will. And the rest of us must NEVER forget that USA is the only nation to use a nuclear weapon. Before 2016, USA’s dumbest President was the haberdasher, Harry Truman, who ordered nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki destroying Japanese lives for generations.

If any nation needs to restrict or eliminate nuclear capabilities, it’s USA. So, Iranians aren’t fans of USA’s insistence they be prevented from developing nuclear weapons. Also, congenitally, no Arab or Muslim nation trusts Israel. The distrust is unconnected to Iran’s government. It’s inextricably linked to a profound understanding of history. Iranians know how imperial powers treat “liberated” Mid-East nations; how Israel was created and treated neighbours for 80 years.

Iranians live with a lifelong three-way paradox. Iran’s Islamic Republic is morally and politically bankrupt. The alternatives offered by foreigners don’t include nor are based on freedom or liberation. They’re offering occupation, modern day slavery and rape of Iran’s natural resources.

Iranians can empathize with Jamaican victims of gang-related arson. Iranians reside in a house on fire but gunmen are waiting outside to shoot them down if they flee. So Donut can forget this “regime change” nonsense. All he has accomplished is to activate layers of regime succession Iran had in place forever preparing for this eventuality.

Iran swiftly went into succession mode. A provisional three member leadership council (Iran’s President; Chief Justice; Senior Shiite Cleric) acted as Supreme Leader. The 88 member Assembly of Experts swiftly appointed Ali Khamenei’s son, Mojtaba, new Supreme Leader by a simple majority vote. Donut has sacrificed American soldiers’ lives to create a new more hardened Iranian leadership terminally furious with him and Benny the Bully. This time it’s personal! If I were Donut or Benny, I’d watch my back. Food tasters should be welcomed. They’ve placed national leaders’ assassination squarely on the table as war’s first option.

So, not even a Dingbat could’ve believed “regime change” was likely. So what’s he up to? For what primary objective has he sent American soldiers to die and destabilized world economies?

It’s NOT nuclear capability destruction. It’s NOT regime change!

He KNOWS this. Addressing a 2024 campaign rally, candidate Donut said “I can tell you you’re not going to have a war with Iran with me as president.” So WHAT shifted the decomposed organic matter in the squalid swamp between his ears?

Iran hit back at Israel and ostensibly USA’s mid-east military and diplomatic bases although strikes hit “nearby” civilian infrastructure. Mid-East allies are miffed and threaten retaliation. This is descending into chaos faster than a moving golden staircase. Washington Post reported (March 2):

“Inside the Pentagon, and among some members of the Trump administration, there was deepening concern on Sunday that the Iran conflict could spiral out of control. ‘The mood here is intense and paranoid’, one person said. There’s anxiety among senior leaders that the fighting will extend for weeks, further stressing limited U.S. air defense stockpiles. ‘There is concern about this lasting more than a few days’, said another person. ‘I don’t think people have fully absorbed it yet, like, what that has done to our stockpiles. It often takes 2 or 3 interceptors to ensure a missile is stopped.’”

Later on Monday muddled Marco Rubio, looking like a damp rag and sounding like a Vietnam vet with PTSD, gave a third rationale for USA’s attacks. He blamed “imminent threat”. “The imminent threat was we knew that if Iran was attacked, and we believed they would be attacked, they would immediately come after us.”

And, Marco, if your Aunt had testicles she’d be your Uncle!

Marco warbled on: “We knew there was going to be an Israeli action. We knew that would precipitate an attack against American forces, and we knew that if we didn’t pre-emptively go after them before they launched those attacks, we would suffer higher casualties.”

Less than 24 hours later Donut contradicted Muddled Marco’s “Israeli action” mumbo-jumbo. saying “I forced Israel’s hand.”

Make up your minds wouldja? Is it nuclear disarmament? Is it regime change?? Is it an “imminent threat” IF Israel attacks Iran???

The actual imminent threat created by USA’s “pre-emptive” strike is higher oil prices due to disruptions to tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. This mad adventure is unsettling the world economy. On March 2, US oil traded 8.4% higher at US$72.63 per barrel, while international standard Brent was up 8.5% at US$79.13 per barrel. Need I tell you how vulnerable post-Melissa Jamaican economy is to these threats?

Donut has put the whole world in jeopardy for illusory, impossible goals.

WHY?

Here’s a thought. Maybe those aren’t his goals.

Trump has publicly argued he’s “too busy” as a wartime president to comply with congressional oversight. But didn’t he start the war? I bet Congressional Republican lapdogs take that theme and run wid it.

Please note that, since Saturday’s strikes followed by intense retaliation and widespread casualties, you haven’t heard the word “Epstein” mentioned on any traditional media outlet.

Mission Accomplished? Will “war powers” also be used to postpone midterms?

Peace and Love.

Last Sunday I wrote on horseracing “Now SVREL tells us it lost $400 million on racing in 2025?” I got a call from Gary Peart who showed me the $385 million loss was recorded for 2024 not 2025, when a small profit was realised. Oopsie. But is one year a trend? We shall see…

Gordon Robinson is an attorney-at-law. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com