Peloni: In a recent article in Tablet Magazine titled, “Who Wants This War?”, Lee Smith argues that the current war with Iran should be understood as the culmination of a long strategic shift in U.S. rather than a sudden or impulsive conflict. Accordingly, the war represents a reversal of decades of failed Western policies which have and emboldened the Iranian regime while also allowing it to expand the reach of its power across the Middle East, threatening both Israel and Sunni nations alike.
Smith traces the roots of the conflict to several earlier decisions, including Trump’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran, the restoration of maximal economic pressure, as well as the 2020 killing of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force. These steps represented the beginning of a gradual process of weakening the Iranian Mullah’s regime, including its control over its regional network of militias.
In answering the question raised in the article’s title, Smith argues that the main potential “winners” of the war would include:
- The United States and its allies, if Iran’s military capabilities and regional proxy networks are significantly degraded.
- Israel and regional states threatened by Iran, which could see a reduction in missile threats and militia activity.
- The Iranian people, who may gain an opportunity to escape authoritarian rule if the regime collapses or weakens substantially.
Simultaneously, the losers from this war would be the Iranian ruling system and its regional proxy forces including the militias operating in Lebanon, Iraq, and elsewhere, whose depend on Iran for their funding, weapons, and strategic direction.
Smith goes on to remind his readers that the outcome of the war is still uncertain. Yet, he also notes that if successful, the war could lead to the destruction of the Iranian regime’s military and terror infrastructure, which in turn would result in a fundamental reshaping of the entire Middle East, while ending Iran’s decades-long project of exporting revolution at the expense of destabilizing neighboring states.
Answer: winners
Lee Smith | Tablet Magazine | Mar 5, 2026
https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/war-iran-winners-donald-trump
This war should have happened in 1979. Jimmah Carter was a dangerous idiot.
He brought Nelson Mandela to power by certifying an election where 4mm more ballots were cast than there were eligible voters.
Who in their right mind would allow some wild eyeed cleric to develop the bomb – Obama needs to be charged in the international criminal court for funding their quest for the bomb.