ArcaMax

America is at war. A full-scale, illegal, unnecessary war against a country that posed no imminent threat to the United States. A war that could have long-range, disastrous consequences in the Middle East. And we are in that war for one reason only: Because Donald Trump decided to start it. This is Trump’s war.

In high school, we were taught there’s such a thing as a “just war.” I still believe that. But this is surely not one of them. If only, before attacking Iran, Donald Trump had considered the history of wars in the Middle East. Not ancient history, but in our own lifetime.

In 1990, when President George H. W. Bush was considering sending American troops to expel the Iraqi Army from Kuwait, he asked Gen. Colin Powell, then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for advice. His response should be the test required of every president.

According to the “Powell Doctrine,” before any military action is undertaken by the United States, eight questions must be asked – and each answered affirmatively.

Here they are: (1) Is a vital national security interest threatened? (2) Do we have a clear, attainable objective? (3) Have the risks and costs been fully and frankly analyzed? (4) Have all other nonviolent policy means been fully exhausted? (5) Is there a plausible exit strategy to avoid endless entanglement? (6) Have the consequences of our action been fully considered? (7) Is the action supported by the American people? (8) Do we have genuine broad international support?

Again, under the “Powell Doctrine,” the answer to every one of those questions must be “Yes.” Under the “Donald Doctrine,” the answer to every one of those questions is “No!”

There was no national security interest threatened by Iran. Diplomacy was barely tried, let alone exhausted. The American people don’t support this war, not even Trump’s MAGA followers, to whom he promised “no new wars.” And, worst of all, Trump not only has no “exit strategy,” he can’t explain why he started this war in the first place.

We’ve heard nothing but an embarrassing string of what the media calls Trump’s “evolving explanations” or “rolling rationales” for the war in Iran. The answer to “Why did you start this war, Mr. President?” seems to be whatever first pops into Trump’s head.

First, Trump said it was because Iran posed an “imminent threat” to the United States in the form of long-range missiles capable of reaching the United States. Yet last year, Trump’s Defense Intelligence Agency said Iran’s capacity to develop a “militarily-viable” intercontinental missile was still 10 years away. Next, he said we needed “regime change,” which didn’t sit well with his MAGA base after having told them “regime change is a proven, absolute failure.”

Then, Trump claimed Iran was within weeks of developing a nuclear bomb. Which also fell flat because, for the last nine months, Trump’s been bragging that his June 2025 bombing of Iran had “obliterated” their nuclear capacity. He was either lying then, or he’s lying now.

He also accused Iran of “walking away” from negotiations in Geneva, until the Foreign Minister of Oman, who was hosting the talks, said Iran had agreed to most terms and it was the United States who walked away, not the Iranians. Secretary of State Marco Rubio tried to blame it on Israel, saying they forced our hand by planning on bombing Iran first. Then, without any evidence, Trump said Iran was about to bomb us, so we had to bomb them.

How long will the war last? Again, that depends on the last reporter Trump talked to. It could be a week, two weeks, four or five months, or forever.

From all of this it’s made clear: Donald Trump doesn’t know what the hell he’s doing. He started this war only because he could, and it makes him feel strong.

Hopefully, Trump’s war will be over soon and lead to no wider war, no serious economic consequences, and no more Americans killed. Then, in November, will come the final reckoning: the midterm elections, a referendum on the first half of Trump’s second term.

In 2024, Trump called himself the “peace candidate” and promised “I will not start another war.” Yet in the last year, he’s bombed seven countries, kidnapped one foreign leader, assassinated another and started the war in Iran. November’s time for the American people, including Trump’s MAGA followers, to stand up and say: This is not what we voted for.

(Bill Press is host of The BillPressPod, and author of 10 books, including: “From the Left: My Life in the Crossfire.” His email address is: bill@billpress.com. Readers may also follow him on Twitter @billpresspod and on BlueSky @BillPress.bsky.social.)

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