Al-Masry Al-Youm, Egypt, October 6
US President Donald Trump’s administration is well aware that Iran is showing no sign of peace or interest in making amends with other world nations. It means that confrontation will come, regardless of the fact that some people in Washington try to prevent it. The mullahs believe that the Americans are preoccupied with Trump’s investigations – in what has become known as “Ukrainegate” – and imagine that Washington will not find time to manage its affairs with Iran. But they are sorely mistaken. America, they forget, is still the strongest and most powerful state in the world. So, is there anyone in the US still putting the option for a military confrontation with Iran on the table? The answer is yes. The generals do not trust Iran, and they know for sure that the only way to address Iran’s imperial ambitions in the Middle East is through the use of the military machine, whether through an all-out war or a swift military action against Tehran. This, they know, will force Iran to reassess its behavior, exactly as it did in April 1988 during Operation Praying Mantis, in which the Americans destroyed half of Iran’s operational naval fleet. So will history repeat itself with Iran? All scenarios are open, especially if Iran continues to aggravate the US and its allies, as it did with its recent attack on the Aramco refineries in Saudi Arabia. Under such conditions, Trump and his administration will be forced to respond and attack Iran. This seems almost inevitable. Dennis Ross, who was [former president Barack] Obama’s adviser for the Middle East, believes that the Iranians have an incentive to act out of the ordinary. They think they can get away with impunity because they are no longer afraid of the United States. If President Trump wants to change the Iranian regime’s behavior, he must use all the tools available at his disposal – diplomatic, political, economic, social, cyber or military – in order to send a resolute and decisive message that indicates Washington will not tolerate Tehran’s aggression. Washington is already planning for this scenario. According to several sources in Washington, the White House and the Pentagon have detailed plans to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities, military command-and-control centers, and much of its strategic critical infrastructure within days, if not hours. If carried out, this would be one of the US military’s biggest and most serious military performances since the Vietnam War and possibly since the end of World War II. Such use of force should deter any country in the world, let alone a flailing power like Iran. – Amil Ameen (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)