The United States and Israel have each used an array of advanced weaponry against Iran since February 28.
Three US aircraft carriers deployed to the region have launched hundreds of Tomahawk cruise missiles at Iranian sites; and aircraft, including B-2 stealth bombers, have pounded targets in the country. New systems like the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) have also been employed in attacks.
Israel brought the power of F-35I Adir stealth fighters, F-15I Ra’am jets and specialized precision-guided munitions to the fight.
The combined attacks have wrought significant degradation of Iran’s air defenses and missile production, and extensive destruction of military and civilian infrastructure.
Iran, for its part, has employed large numbers of kamikaze drones against US sites and those of allies, as well as specialized anti-ship missile launchers stationed near the Strait of Hormuz. Its weapons inventory also includes some older US-made equipment, like F-14 fighters, that the country was provided before the mullahs took over.
According to The Washington Post, Iranian strikes have damaged over 200 structures at US military sites in the region. And US intelligence indicates that Iran could produce enough bomb-grade uranium in three-to-six months.
But the war of weapons is only one part of the conflict’s calculus. Iran possesses a secret weapon, and it resides here in the US.
No, it’s not some fifth column of sleeper cells (though the existence of such threats can’t be ruled out). And it’s not even the sophomoric, self-righteous and besotted-with-themselves demonstrators (of, above all, their ignorance) who chant their affection for Iran’s proxies like Hamas and Hezbollah.
No, the Iranian secret weapon is something else: the American public. Or, to be more precise, citizens’ increasing fear of rising gas prices—on which the mullahs are counting to wear down America’s determination to defang them.
Ludicrous as it might sound—and in a sane world would sound—the Iranian secret weapon is the price of a gallon of gasoline at American pumps.
That reluctance to make an economic sacrifice in order to prevent Iran, once and for all, from being able to obliterate entire cities, plays a large role in what a recent PBS News/NPR/Marist poll showed: Six in ten Americans disapprove of how President Trump is handling Iran.
Even among Republicans, who overwhelmingly approve of the campaign against Iran, that support is down seven points from March.
Odious but influential right-wing voices like Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Alex Jones and Candace Owens have raised a hue and cry against the war, which Mr. Carlson has characterized as “absolutely disgusting and evil.”
Such opposition to de-nuclearizing Iran capitalizes on fuel pump fearfulness. James Fishback, who is currently running for the GOP nomination in Florida’s gubernatorial race, encapsulated the Carlson et al position when he declared that “My definition of America First is that if it does not benefit American citizens, it is not America First.” And if American citizens are distressed, well, that’s worse.
In May 1942, when Nazi Germany was on the ascendant, Americans received ration cards. Among items rationed were: cars, tires, gasoline, fuel oil, coal, firewood, nylon, silk, and shoes. Not to mention household staples like meat, dairy, coffee and oils.
Sacrifice was embraced as a common good for the war effort, and it affected every American household. There were minor protests, but the dominant mood among the citizenry was that decisively winning the war, no pun intended, trumped all else.
American society has markedly changed since the 1940s. The unity of purpose that reigned at that era is all but absent in these polarized times. The idea of the common good has yielded to a “What’s in it for me?” mindset.
What’s more, many these days seem desensitized to the danger posed by Iran possessing nuclear weapons. The local chants of “From the river to the sea…” and “Globalize the Intifada” have all but drowned out the far-away Iranian ones of “Marg bar America” (“Death to America!”).
All of which provides fertile ground for enemies of civilization like Iran to sow seeds of noxious weeds, to wear down an American public unused to sacrifice and terrified by the specter of $5-a-gallon gas. ●