WASHINGTON, DC – Is war with Iran inevitable? “Indeed, Iran has already initiated retaliation for the U.S. attack that killed Qasem Soleimani, commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC]. Is the tit-for-tat missile volley the regime fired at U.S. air bases in Iraq earlier this week the beginning or the end,” says Dan Weber, president of the Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC]. “It’s the big question that’s top of mind as we wait to see if hostilities will escalate.”
Some called Soleimani powerful and popular. However, the esteem he received came from Iranian insiders, “die-hard Islamists, who admired his ability to promote and support terrorism throughout the middle east. But loyal allies in a time of war are hard to muster for a rogue nation such as Iran,” according to Weber.
As Jim Geraghty, senior political correspondent at the National Review, put it: “Soleimani had enemies around the world, and his legacy is not merely the 608 American troops killed by improvised explosive devices in Iraq between 2003 and 2011. Soleimani financed, trained, armed, and commanded various militias and factions in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. Every foe of those groups, as well as dissidents of the regime in Iran, all are rejoicing about his death, either publicly or secretly.”
Geraghty writes that with few, if any, allies and a weak economy Iran may have cause to fear an all-out shooting war with the U.S. But that doesn’t mean the Islamic Republic won’t continue to seek revenge for Soleimani’s death, one way or another.
It’s important to note the reason President Trump authorized the air strike that killed Soleimani. Senator James M. Inhofe, [R-OK], chairman of the Armed Services Committee described it in a Washington Post Opinion Article published on Tuesday. “Over the past eight months, Iran escalated its asymmetric aggression — it directed attacks against our partners’ oil tankers, downed a U.S. drone and struck a major Saudi oil facility. In response, the Trump administration ramped up sanctions, bolstered force protection in the region and worked to deepen Iran’s diplomatic isolation. Still, the president did not respond militarily to Iran’s provocations. Like previous administrations, the Trump White House was concerned that Iran would react to a military escalation by directing Soleimani’s Quds Force proxies to attack U.S. diplomats, troops and facilities in the region.”
Inhofe went on to explain that “In a single strike, the president defended American troops and diplomats against attacks, held Iran accountable for killing a U.S. citizen in Iraq and reframed the U.S.-Iran relationship by making it clear the Iranian regime cannot act with impunity.”
So what are the possible alternatives to World War III? Some experts, inside and outside the U.S. government, believe that an escalation of the ongoing cyberwar between America and Iran is a likely option.
“The United States and Iran are two of the most advanced, active, and capable hacking powers in the world at a time when governments regularly use hacking to accomplish important goals and shape geopolitics,” according to an article in the MIT Technology Review.
Meanwhile, one senior cybersecurity official at the Department of Homeland Security, Christopher Krebs, has warned American companies and government agencies to “pay close attention” to critical systems that might be targeted by Iranian hackers.
Sergio Caltagirone, a former technical lead at the NSA who now works at the industrial cybersecurity firm Dragos, told the MIT Technology Review that “when countries pull cyber triggers to conduct cyber effects, a lot of the times it’s against civilian targets rather than military targets. Right now it looks like civilians and innocent people all around the world, including Iranians, Americans, and Saudis, will bear the brunt of impact of these attacks. That’s the saddest part of all this: states are in conflict, but civilians feel the consequences.”
Meanwhile, British military intelligence expert, Philip Ingram, warns that Iran has “a first world cyberattack capability.” In a recent Forbes report he says that “Iran has a very sophisticated broad spectrum of capabilities able to target critical national infrastructure, financial institutions, education establishments, manufacturers and more.”
But Iran has a lot to fear from the U.S. in a cyberspace war, according to cybersecurity journalist Kate O’Flaherty who wrote the Forbes article. She noted that last June “the U.S. launched a successful cyberattack against Iranian air defense sites and command and control” after the Iranians shot down an unmanned American spy plane over the Persian Gulf.
ABOUT AMAC
The Association of Mature American Citizens [AMAC] [https://www.amac.us], with 2 million members, is a vibrant, vital senior advocacy organization that takes its marching orders from its members. We act and speak on their behalf, protecting their interests and offering a practical insight on how to best solve the problems they face today. Live long and make a difference by joining us today at https://amac.us/join-amac.
Iran isn’t “pondering retaliation” for its loss of its terrorist leader… Iran is continuing its fomenting terrorism globally as a part of its normal government activity. No change on Iran’s part. Just a new posture from the United States. Thank you President Trump. The Iranian government is as evil as government comes. So steeped in deceit, death, destruction that it lies and kills not only terrorism targets, but the Iranian regime lies to, kills and destroys its own. If the Iranian people don’t overthrow these monsters in power, they will have to live with the standard they accept.
The Iranian leadership is basically “wrong thinking.” Their whole ideology is based on their religious beliefs, that can at best be described as “feudal.” They are on the wrong side of history and will ultimately fail. Let’s help them get there sooner, rather than later. However, they have not yet gotten the message. Libya’s Gaddafi got the message and started “right thinking” after Reagan dropped a few bombs in his living room (literally) back in 1980s. Guess Reagan finally got Gaddafi’s attention.
So, what does Trump need to do the get the Iranian leaders’ attention and get them to embrace “right thinking?” Don’t yet know, but it will be quite interesting to see how this unfolds. However, I do expect that it will somehow eventually include delivering a very “loud ringing noise” in their ears much like Reagan presented to Gaddafi. AT&T advertises to “reach out and touch someone!” Well, let’s have our military present that same life (or death) experience to the Iranian rag heads. Let’s give them that epiphany, compliments of the American people. Oh, by the way, we do know where your living rooms are. All we are waiting for is the appropriate pretext for action.
I’m delighted that Trump has finally shown us that Iran is our most dangerous military enemy. Its not because they are militarily capable. They are very limited but their will is to destroy the US and most of the middle east as quickly as possible. Its amazing to me that we all do not know that but, alas, many of us don’t. N Korea is a bunch of bluster with no technology. China, due to Trump, is now being revealed as a very limited economic force. Russia has always been third world.
The left will never be able to keep up with our president who does more work in a week than any 10 congresspeople. I hope that our intellence reaveals many other
Iranians who need a drone hit. There are many. Salmonella is only one. This job is just beginning. I would much rather see the US on offense than on defense.
Unfortunately, the swamp loves appeasement. At the same time they love the US military to stay in areas we currently are in. Example: Syria. Why ? Top swamp rats are paid under the table by military industry lobbylists. The swamp’s greatest fear of Trump is that he is revealing how crooked DC is.
yup let them go for it then send the house of congress over there to talk with them and while they are there bomb them all quick clean up of a mass of terrorist and our number one enemy
Salmonella did not kill millions by himself. He has to have at least fifty or more direct planners. Lets hope that Trump blows all of them up in the
next week. Lets use our capability now. Iran needs to be divided as Germany was after WWII. The world is better off without Iran. Iran has no right
to exist. Lets solve the Palestinian problem by giving Iran to the Palestinians. The great solution is right in front of us. Solve the iran problem now !
Iranians need to become slaves for the free world because they have proved that they cannot run their country. I do not accept that the citizens are
“victims”. The people can and must revolt and die as ncessary to eliminate their masters. Tough message but true. Trump has finally revealed the truth.
Solve your problems or continue to be subjugated as you have for the last 40 years. I am sick of seeing good US soldiers die to protect middle easteners
who don’t care if they live or die. Middle-easterners, generally, have no self-respect and love to be abused.