This morning, February 28, I awoke to the news that the United States and Israel had initiated military strikes on Iran. My initial reactions were mixed. The attack on Iran was no surprise. We had expected it for some days. I understood why Trump believed it to be necessary, but armed conflict should always a nation’s last resort. No one knows how long it will last or how the issue will finally be resolved.

Iran is a cancer in the Middle East. As long as the fundamentalist Muslim clerics control that state, there will always be a threat to peace and stability in that region — and to the world. The proud Iranian people groan under their oppression, and there is no doubt that the great majority are desperate for regime change.

It appears certain that Trump has no intention to have large American armed forces invade Iran. Perhaps American and Israeli special forces will conduct surgical strikes, but at this point we do not know. One thing is obvious, Trump does not intend for the United States to become bogged down in ground operations or occupations like those we experienced in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The real hope is that the American and Israeli operations, coupled with massive uprisings by the Iranian people, will quickly cause the overthrow of the Ayatollah and his brutal supporters. If that happens, perhaps an effective, democratic Iranian government could be established. That would be the best possible outcome; but even so, some years may be required to restore stability and prosperity to that land.

If the Iranian dictatorship manages to resist and retain its power over a period of many weeks or months, we are in for a difficult and destructive campaign with uncertain results..