War with Iran; Part II—Update, Analysis and Commentary

To read the full text of the podcast and the links to the quoted materials, please see: ⁠https://erm76.substack.com/p/podcast-and-full-text-war-with-iran

This is an update about the war in Iran. We first covered the war, which has also been called an “excursion” by the President, in an earlier podcast.

According to President Trump, the attacks obliterated the targets. Yet, one of the reasons given for the current war is to destroy Iran's capability to create a nuclear weapon--a justification used for the 2025 attack.

Secretary Hegseth, for his part, has attacked the press. This includes that reports are false and/or unpatriotic. Neither is the case.

Hegseth also stated that no quarter will be shown for our enemies. This, however, is a violation of international law.

As the war continues, the Administration's lack of planning is becoming more apparent. For example, other than working with Israel, it entered this engagement without assembling a coalition of other nations. The issue of protecting the Strait of Hormuz is a case in point.

The lessons we should have learned from the war with Iraq also seem to have been ignored. Or maybe the question should be, has the Administration tapped this knowledge when preparing for the Iran war?

The President has also called for the people of Iran to rise up against their government during the recent protests in the country. As discussed in a prior podcast, the Iranian government is a murderous regime that has killed thousands of its own people. It's murder on a grand scale.

Yet, what support has Trump offered to the Iranian people if they turn against the government, as he has suggested? Without the support of ground troops, these individuals stand to be slaughtered. Trying to stoke the fire of a revolt, without providing concrete support, is potentially sending these people to their deaths—Trump should understand and care about this.

On the flip side, if the war somehow frees the people of Iran, it would be a great achievement, indeed. But the question again arises: how would you help the country move forward? We have yet to hear from the Trump Administration. But if you start a war, you should damn well know why you started it and have an end goal plan in mind.

You should also know this before you send our military, or anyone, into harm's way.

Notes:

**** You can download the full report from: https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2026/01/365-wins-in-365-days-president-trumps-return-marks-new-era-of-success-prosperity/,

(1) “Trump calls Iran war a 'short-term excursion' and Georgia's special election: Morning Rundown,” by Marissa Martinez, NBC News. March 10, 2026. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump-calls-iran-war-short-term-excursion-georgias-special-election-mo-rcna262658

(2) Merriam-Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/obliterate. Also see, for the White House's claim that the Iran assets were fully destroyed: Iran's Nuclear Facilities Have Been Obliterated — and Suggestions Otherwise are Fake News, The White House. June 25, 2025. https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/06/irans-nuclear-facilities-have-been-obliterated-and-suggestions-otherwise-are-fake-news/

(3) Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Air Force Gen. Dan Caine Hold a Press Briefing, U.S. Department of War. March 13, 2026. https://www.war.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/4434484/secretary-of-war-pete-hegseth-and-chairman-of-the-joint-chiefs-air-force-gen-da/

(4) “'Not our war': U.S. allies balk at Trump's Strait of Hormuz demands,” by Alexander Smith, NBC News. March 16, 2026. https://www.nbcnews.com/world/iran/us-allies-respond-trump-strait-of-hormuz-demands-nato-iran-war-rcna263650

(5) “FCC chair threatens TV networks amid Iran war coverage — but his warning rings hollow,” by Brian Stelter, CNN, March 15, 2025. https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/14/media/fcc-brendan-carr-trump-iran-war-abc-nbc-cbs

(6) The New Communications Technologies; fifth edition. Michael Mirabito and Barbara Morgenstern. Focal Press, 2004.

(7) “Democratic lawmaker condemns Hegseth's call for ‘no quarter' for US enemies,” by Edward Helmore, The Guardian. March 14, 2026. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/14/democratic-lawmaker-condemns-hegseth-no-quarter#:~:text=Critics%20of%20Hegseth%20say%20the,crime%20in%20international%20armed%20conflicts. Also, please see: “Rule 46. Orders or Threats that No Quarter Will Be Given.” International Humanitarian Law Databases. https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/en/customary-ihl/v1/rule46

(8) “Trump claims US ‘way ahead of schedule' in Iran war,” Aljazeera; News Feed. March 14, 2026. https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2026/3/14/trump-claims-us-way-ahead-of-schedule-in-iran