America has no plan for Iran, Donald Trump has admitted, as key figures Washington intended to run the country are dead or may soon die. The US-Israeli campaign appears aimless, but Senator Elizabeth Warren described it as 'much worse than that' after a White House briefing.
The roots of the current conflict lie in the same soil as the lies that preceded the 2003 Iraq war. Hard-right Israelis and Christian evangelicals believe toppling Saddam Hussein and now Iran's theocracy is necessary for Israel's security, as outlined in the 1996 'Clean Break' document prepared for Benjamin Netanyahu by neoconservatives who later served in the Bush administration.
Israel's agenda is to smash Iran and let others sort out the chaos, even if it leads to civil war. This mirrors the 2003 Iraq strategy, where lies about al-Qaeda and nuclear weapons were used to justify invasion. Netanyahu, influenced by Russian military doctrine, sees chaos as victory.
But for the US and its allies, the situation is 'much worse' due to religious fanaticism in the Trump administration. Pete Hegseth, a former Fox News commentator, has spoken of 'miracles' including rebuilding the Jewish Temple on Jerusalem's Haram al Sharif, a key Christian end-times belief. Hegseth bears a Crusader cross tattoo, symbolising far-right Christian nationalism.
This apocalyptic worldview is widespread: 39% of Americans and 47% of evangelical Protestants believe we are living in the 'end times', according to a 2022 Pew survey. Such beliefs fuel US policy, equating military action with divine prophecy.
