Iran’s Asymmetrical War Persists Against Hegemony
On February 28, US President Donald Trump launched a joint airstrike with Israel to target the country of Iran. That attack was unconstitutional, illegal, in violation of Article 51 of the UN Charter, which is an instrument of international law. The US attack, dubbed Epic Fury, was also an unprovoked war of aggression which the Nuremberg War Crime Trials defined in 1945 as a war crime.
Iran’s response within hours was focused and far exceeded expectations with its precision guided hypersonic Fattah 2 system which is technologically superior and outpaces the Israel-US response. The Iran response exceeded whatever Iron Dome protection Israel assumed was in place.
Within that first day, the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was assassinated in his office with his family and hours later 165 students (ages6-12) were killed by a double tap Tomahawk missile strike in the Shajareh Tayyiba elementary school in Teheran; thereby adding potential war crimes to the US-Israel war.
In response to the President’s air strike, Sen. Tim Caine (D-Va0 offered a War Powers Resolution vote which was defeated 53-47 with Sen. Rand Paul (Ky) the only Republican Senator ito support the Resolution. The next day, the House of Representatives also defeated a War Powers Resolution on a 212 -219 vote with two Republicans Rep. Tom Massie (R-Ky) and Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) voting in support.
The Resolutions would have “removed United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against the Islamic Republic of Iran that have not been authorized by Congress.”
In addition, on March 5, Rep. Brian Mast (R-Fla) Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee sponsored HR 1099 which affirmed US policy that Iran is the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism. The vote was 372 – 53 with all Republicans voting Aye and 53 Democrats voting No. This might be qualify as the pot calling the kettle black.
In other words, if the Congress had the wisdom to adopt a War Power Resolution, the situation with Iran might not have escalated and presumably might have forced the President to diplomatically address Iran but as most of us know by now, that is not Trump’s style. Since the entire Congress, with few exceptions, are recipients to large amounts of Zionist campaign donations and the Congress, as a legislative body, has become a dormant shell of its former self.
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With the ever aggressive Israel as his partner, a country focused on dismantling much of the Middle East in favor of a Greater Israel project, with a Secretary of War Pete Hegseth who takes his title as a green light to kill and a President who does not know how to spell diplomacy as much as practice it, the conflict continues to escalate costing the US taxpayer $2 billion a day.
There has also been a shortage of defense interceptors to counter incoming missiles while Iran shrewdly targeted Israeli production facilities for destruction. US support for the war in Ukraine and its bombing campaign against the Houthis also contributed to a US shortage of ballistic missile interceptors while Iran maintains a scheduled sustained bombing campaign.
In other words, as the conflict was predicted to last a few days or “throughout the week’ until Monday, the President’s prediction on March 9 that the war will end “very soon” has not materialized nor has the war been the slam-dunk the President expected while less than 10% of Americans support deployment of ground forces in Iran.
Yet Trump appears fearful that his war on Iran is doomed.
On X, Jackson Hinkle interviewed retired Lt. Col. Anthony Aguilar for his expertise on Trump’s war against Iran and its continuing escalation. Aguilar is a 2004 Graduate of West Point Military Academy and served as a Green Beret Special Forces Officer rising to the rank of Lt. Colonel. He spent the next twenty five years with deployments in Iraq, Afghanistan, Jordan, the Philippines and Tajikstan and served as a Security Contractor in Gaza. He resigned to become a whistleblower alleging severe misconduct regarding inadequate aid distribution.
During the interview, Aguilar identified the war as “unjustified” and questioned how history will judge the conflict, predicting that, as Nuremberg taught, “just following orders is not a defense” against war crimes. Aguilar reported that US CentCom has begun an active deliberate campaign to target assets in the Hormuz Strait region conducting preparatory strikes in anticipation of bringing the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit to take possession of the Kharg island which has 10,000 Iranian residents. With little clear objective, the US will conduct an amphibious assault on Kharg which Aguilar labeled born out of hubris, arrogance and ego and as well as ‘militarily stupid.’ Aguilar made the dire prediction of ‘tremendous US losses – of both personnel or equipment.”
Aguilar then explained the accelerated conflict with ‘boots on the ground’ as a pretense for the potential use of a tactical nuclear weapon on its list of possible ‘courses of action’ that are ‘on the table.’ The ground assault is little more than a pretext that may begin in a limited fashion, then escalate into a full ground assault with US ground forces on alert; like the 82nd Airborne Division and the 75th Ranger Regiment waiting to be called. While it will take time for the 31st Marine to organize for “theatre,” strategic preparatory efforts are meant to encourage Iranian capitulation – which will not happen. Aguilar state unequivocally: “It’s a lie that Iran is the Big Bad Wolf of the Region.”
When asked whether he would suggest whether current military members might refuse to fight, Aguilar said he was calling upon Admiral Brad Cooper, AF General and Chief of JCS Dan Kaine and all the Service Chiefs of Staff to stand against this illegal and unjustified war, to stand by the oath taken in support of the Constitution and to conscientiously object approaching every avenue legally. Aguilar added that he would not fight in this war and suggested using every legal avenue at their disposal to ‘get out of the war.’
If American forces are able to access the Island or nearby area, Aguilar further anticipates potential dire predicament as American troops may not be able to leave the Island as their presence will dramatically escalate the conflict. American troops may become trapped, to die or be captured, The more the US escalates the conflict, the more costly the conflict will be. Aguilar expressed concern that as escalation increases may lead to Trump who can be unpredictably irrational, consider the use of a tactical nuclear weapon which is currently ‘on the table.’
In addition, the US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has urged the US adopt the ‘no quarter, no mercy given’ position which is considered a heinous war crime under US military code and international law, even just in the verbalizing the phrase. Under international humanitarian law, “it is especially forbidden […] to declare that no quarter will be given” established under Article 23(d) of the 1907 Hague Convention IV – The Laws and Customs of War on Land.” Hegseth has received some serious push back by the military establishment; whether he will pay attention is another matter.
In military lingo, ‘no quarter’ (no dwelling) is said to mean take no prisoners, no surrender and killing enemy combatants unequivocally.
Meanwhile, back in Israel, Prime Minister Netanyahu has expressed that “no revolution in Iran can be accomplished from the air”, that there needs to be a significant “ground component” as well. The question arises how many Zionist or IDF ground troops will Netanyahu contribute to the effort to destroy Iran. In response, Trump stated that ”I’m not putting troops anywhere” adding that the US would do whatever is necessary to keep the price of oil down. Although Reuters reported the Trump Administration was weighing its options, according to an anonymous source.
The President recently announced he does not want a ceasefire explaining,
Well, look we could have dialogue but I don’t want to do a ceasefire. Now you don’t do a ceasefire when you are obliterating the other side. They don’t have a Navy, they don’t have an Air Force, they don’t have any equipment, they don’t have any spotters, they don’t have anti aircraft, they don’t have any radar and their leaders have all been killed at every level. We’re not looking to do that.
And yet the Iranians control the pace of the war with an asymmetrical strategy as the US plans boots on the ground; the Hormuz Strait is still blocked and costing the US taxpayer $2 billion a day as the Iranians have not yet used their strongest, most modern hypersonic missiles.
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