President Donald Trump addressed the nation Wednesday night from the White House. In the address, he gave an optimistic report of success for “Operation Epic Fury”. Mentioning the decimated Iranian Navy and the decapitation of the regime, Trump sounded almost as if he was declaring victory.
However, with the Strait of Hormuz heavily impeded, allies of the United States other than Israel are heavily affected. These allies are increasingly worried about their ability to buy or sell oil through the strait. Iran’s counterstrikes have also done a number on these middle eastern allies. One of Saudi Arabia’s largest oil refineries was heavily damaged. This has the president concerned. If he were to end the operation now, there is no way he can credibly declare victory. The middle east would just have other issues, possibly worse, especially given the fact that the regime is arguably more hostile towards America now than ever.
President Trump has been trying to cut a deal with Iran to get the strait back “open for business”. He was even open to a deal all during Wednesday morning into the afternoon. Iran has remained defiant, claiming they will not agree to terms until there is a “full apology and reparations back to the nation”. Not happening. This gives the president no choice but to continue the fight. That is what he brought to the nation in Wednesday night’s address.
The president announced that the U.S. will continue to hit Iran “hard” in the next three weeks and to “send them back to the stone ages where they belong”. Buckle up, we are still in this war.
Iran is an oppressive, evil regime. There is no question about that. What they have done to their own citizens in the past year is disgusting. They have reportedly killed between 10,000-40,000 protesters in the streets. However, there are legitimate questions of the prudence of this war from the United States’ perspective. President Trump has had an impressive resume as far as foreign policy is concerned, up there with the greatest presidents in this nation’s history. But he may have gotten over his skis. This military action seems to have been a mistake.
A huge reason for Trump’s popularity is his sensitivity to the lives of American servicemen and his reluctance to put him into harm’s way for naught. Overconfidence seems to have captured our president, and this may have been his biggest mistake thus far. As time goes on, we may find more clarity. I hope I am wrong.
We pray for our troops and their protection and we pray for the judgement of our president. We are pulling for our country.
