Last weekend, US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Michael Kurilla arrived in Israel to “coordinate” with the Israeli military and plan a military strike against Iran. Think about it for a moment. One of the highest-ranking officers in the U.S. military is planning a war against another country in a foreign country, powered by American weapons, American intelligence, and American tax dollars.
Did that foreign country, Iran, attack the United States or threaten Americans? No, it wasn't. What did Iran do to justify CENTCOM commanders using American military influence to plan war, perhaps World War III? Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh's Tehran The presence included retaliation for Israeli airstrikes.
This escalation was triggered by Israel's missile attack on Tehran – an unprecedented event, but few would know it from media reports. Not only is this war fever between Israel and Iran irrelevant to us, but our increased involvement will actually undermine our national interests in the region.
After three years of a deadly and wasteful proxy war with Russia in Ukraine, what we most need is a new war in the Middle East, especially with Iran. But don't get me wrong, war is what we're getting. The administration has even offered to “compensate” Israel with more weapons and diplomatic assistance if it attacks targets chosen by the United States and avoids other targets inside Iran.
Imagine what would happen if China paid the Iranian government money to send military personnel to Iran to attack some U.S. targets and ensure that others were avoided. Do we think of it as Iran's war against us or China's war against us? both?
Did Congress declare or authorize war on Iran? No, this administration is going to explain to us why Americans suffering from devastating Hurricane Helen are left to fend for themselves because we need to spend billions of dollars on a war that has nothing to do with us. Have you ever done that? No, neocons have wanted this war for decades, and for them it's always America's last.
This war will make us less free, less secure, and even poorer. There are no advantages at all, only disadvantages.
Will the Biden/Harris administration give the green light for Israel to remove Iranian oil production and other energy facilities? That means the average American, already suffering from high inflation and economic depression, will end up paying orders of magnitude more for everything, not just gas. Consider the costs of transportation and trucking, and every aspect of our lives that depends on global energy prices. It would be an economic disaster for Americans due to foreign interests. Is this what they call patriotism?
We are sleepwalking into a destructive war, fooled by constant media propaganda. In this madness, billions more people will be drained from our economy and many more innocent lives will be lost. Almost a quarter of a century later, we still haven't learned the lessons of 9/11. When we go abroad and wreak havoc and destruction on foreigners who have done us no harm, we create enemies who seek revenge. we hurt ourselves. And there is a risk of being blown away. The time to oppose this impending war is now!
Ron Paul is a former U.S. Congressman from Texas. This article originally appeared on the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity and is reprinted here with permission.
