By Philip Klein
Saturday, February 28, 2026
As we await more details about the success of the joint
U.S.-Israeli operation against Iran, I have gathered some initial thoughts.
– President Trump was not bluffing. He has been quite
clear throughout his political career that Iran should not be able to obtain
nuclear weapons, and more recently he warned them against executing political
protesters. He said he would be willing to negotiate but that if Iran was not
serious, he would order an overwhelming military attack. He did give diplomacy
a chance, but ultimately, he was not willing to simply put a fresh coat of
paint on Obama’s disastrous nuclear deal; he wanted serious indications that
Iran was committing to giving up its quest for a nuclear weapon. When it was
clear they were not, he followed through on his threat. Many past presidents
have said that “all options are on the table” with regard to Iran. Trump meant
it.
– The level of coordination between the U.S. and Israel
is unprecedented. While Israel and the U.S. have long been close allies,
exchanging weapons, military technology, and intelligence, they have never been
jointly involved in an active war effort until now. During the Persian Gulf
War, there was intense diplomacy by the first Bush administration to keep
Israel out of the fight, even as Iraq fired scud missiles at its civilians. For
decades, a big debate in Washington has been whether America would even give
Israel the green light to initiate its own attacks on Iran. As I write,
however, U.S. planes are operating out of Israel, where in recent days, F-22s
and tankers have been positioned. This is the culmination of months of careful
planning, with intelligence sharing, and divvying up of targets within Iran. In the early stages, it appears that
Israel hit regime and command targets and the U.S. was striking missile sites.
At a time when there is a growing online debate about the U.S.-Israel
relationship, at least under Trump, the relationship is tighter than ever. In
fact, no prior administration comes even close.
– Iran miscalculated on the Gulf states. This morning, it
sent missiles at U.S. assets in the region, but by doing so, it only angered
Arab nations that had sought to stay neutral. Iran has alienated Saudi Arabia,
which issued a statement condemning “heinous Iranian aggression” against the
United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan. When Iran and Saudi
Arabia struck a peace deal, it seemed that there had been a warming up of
relations. The Saudis had tried to be neutral in the current conflict, denying
the U.S. access to its air bases. But now it says that “all capabilities” would be at the disposal of the Gulf
states in any counterattacks against Iran. Ever opportunistic, it seems they
realize which way the wind is blowing.
– In his statement, Trump focused on the malign actions
of the Iranian regime over the past 47 years, its attacks on U.S. troops in
Iraq, its sponsorship of terrorism against Americans, and its destabilizing
actions within the region. But he also criticized its brutal crackdown on
political protesters. While Trump is not going to order the U.S. military to
orchestrate regime change on human rights grounds, he did call on people to
rise up after the operation. The intention is clearly to sufficiently weaken the
regime so that the Iranian people can take back their country.
– In his speech, Trump was sober about the reality that
there could be casualties this time as Iran’s stated intention is to kill as
many Americans as possible. This weekend is a good time to pray for our brave
men and women in harm’s way.
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