[This article first appeared at Common Dreams on March 18, 2026.]

by Steven J. Harper

President Donald Trump is a victim of his own success. After a quick strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities last June and the capture of Venezuela’s corrupt president in January, the U.S. military made war look easy and Trump feel omnipotent.

Three weeks into a more daunting excursion into Iran, Trump is now a desperate leader.

Trump’s Latest Grudge Match

With Trump, everything is personal. A growing body of evidence suggests that a principal objective in attacking Iran was the assassination of the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. For example:

· When the C.I.A. learned that the Ayatollah and top Iranian officials would be meeting in a militarily accessible location, a previously planned nighttime strike was moved up to the middle of the day.

· On Sunday night, March 1, shortly after reports that the U.S.-Israeli attack had killed the Ayatollah, Trump said, “I got him before he got me.” He was referring to an alleged plot to kill Trump during the 2024 presidential campaign as retribution for the January 2020 U.S. strike that killed Iran’s military leader Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps,

· The desire to downplay Trump’s desire for vengeance explains why he and his minions have offered more noble – and contradictory – justifications for the war, including:

· To eliminate Iran’s nuclear capability (although Trump claimed to have done that with the June attack).

· To help the Iranian people secure their freedom (Trump);

· To attack Iran because Israel was going to do it and that would result in Iran’s attack on U.S. assets in the Middle East (Secretary of State Marco Rubio);

· To attack Iran first, not because Israel was going to do it anyway, but because Trump had a gut feeling that Iran was going to attack the U.S. (Trump). But Pentagon officials informed Congress that no intelligence supported Trump’s opinion;

Mission Accomplished?

[To continue reading, please click here to reach my Substack page: [no paywall]:

https://stevenjharper.substack.com/p/donald-trumps-desperation-over-iran

[This post first appeared at Common Dreams on March 9, 2026.]

by Steven J. Harper

Minimally competent leaders would have considered at least five obvious questions before launching the nation into war. President Donald Trump considered none of them.

#1: What’s the Objective?

It’s not surprising that more than half of all Americans oppose Trump’s War. From the outset, his administration has offered numerous and contradictory justifications for it.

February 28:

· Trump cited 47 years of grievances, a desire to destroy Iran’s missiles, and a message that the Iranian people should “seize the moment” because now was their chance to “be brave, be bold, be heroic, and take back your country.”

· But he also said that the attack was a campaign to “eliminate the imminent nuclear threat,” although Trump had boasted in June that the United States had already accomplished that feat.

· The same day, Trump told the Washington Post, “All I want if freedom for the people.”

· U.N. Ambassador Mike Walz claimed to the United Nations Security Council that the U.S. was invoking the right of self-defense in response to Iran’s imminent threat.

· But the next day, Pentagon officials told congressional staff members that no intelligence supported the notion that Iran was planning to attack the U.S. first.

March 2:

· Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told the press that the objective was retaliation for decades of Iranian behavior, destruction of their missiles, and providing an opportunity for Iranians to “take advantage of this incredible opportunity.”

· But only hours later, Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered a new justification for the war: Israel was going to attack Iran and, if that happened, Iran would then attack U.S. interests in the region. He made it sound as if Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had maneuvered Trump into a corner.

· The next day, Trump contradicted Rubio, saying, “It was my opinion that they [Iran] were going to attack first. They were going to attack if we didn’t do it.” Rebutting any impression that Netanyahu had manipulated him, Trump added, “If anything, I might have forced Israel’s hand.”

· Rubio complained that his earlier remarks had been taken out of context and the operation “had to happen anyway.”

March 6:

· Trump posted on social media that only “unconditional surrender” would end the war.

#2: How Long Will It Last?

[To continue reading, please click here to reach my Substack page: [no paywall]:

https://stevenjharper.substack.com/p/trumps-incompetent-war