IRAN: IS THERE A CASE?
- Paul Hansbury
- Jun 21
- 7 min read
The news continues to be dominated by the conflict between Israel and Iran, sparked by Israel's launch of Operation Rising Lion on 13 June. The big question is whether the US will join Israeli strikes, which the latter claims are 'pre-emptive' – supposedly pre-empting Iran's imminent acquisition of a nuclear weapon. A related but distinct question, therefore, is whether there is justification for the military actions that Israel launched against Iran and which could soon involve the US.
Will the US join the strikes?
Tensions within Donald Trump's administration over Iran are evident. The president has basically confirmed nothing of his intentions: on 19 June he issued a statement that he will decide 'whether or not to go [i.e. join strikes] within the next two weeks.' Quite possibly he has not reached a final decision. One imagines intensive briefings have been going on inside the White House, with some lobbying for the US to involve itself, others for it to stay clear. People will be showing Trump polling data of US citizens, some showing that they support strikes on Iran, some showing the opposite.
