Until very recently, I had no moral qualms about defending the American-Israeli war on Iran’s wicked regime. This is because the war—despite unintended but inevitable civilian casualties—was directed at the fanatics who have oppressed Iran’s people and waged war against America and the Middle East for decades.
But if Donald Trump makes good on his latest threats, a just war could lose its moral standing. On Easter Sunday the president promised on Truth Social that “Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran,” unless the “crazy bastards” in charge of Iran’s regime “open the Fuckin’ Strait.” He was talking about the Strait of Hormuz, and his threat was specifically to begin bombing the civilian infrastructure of Iran to compel the surviving leaders to open up the vital choke hold to international shipping in the Persian Gulf.
