Our problem is much more than Trump, and certainly not Iran

https://www.registerguard.com/opinion/20200125/our-problem-is-much-more-than-trump-and-certainly-not-iran

Nationwide rallies including Eugene are planned for Jan. 25 to prevent war with Iran. War now is unlikely.

Iran is not foolish. Their carefully measured response delivered a message, striking a few carefully chosen targets with precise guided missiles, demonstrating layout knowledge of U.S. bases closely surrounding them — 30-40 in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Oman and the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain.

These threats simultaneously expose our forces to short-range missiles they have undoubtedly stockpiled. Imagine the tables turned, with Iranian, Russian or Chinese bases lined up along our borders from Quebec to British Columbia and from the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of California, with a major naval base nearby.

Iran is not the aggressor. Rather, it is the U.S. that has attacked Iran, overthrowing their democratic parliamentary government in 1953 to secure Iranian oil they had nationalized, installing Shah Pahlavi, who ruled for 25 years through its SAVAK secret police, providing refuge for the Shah once deposed, then supporting Iraq’s eight-year war, killing, perhaps, a million Iranians.

As for preventing war, our unjustified sanctions already constitute war — the modern version of feudal siege warfare that must be entirely, unconditionally discontinued.

Jack Dresser, Eugene