The Nuclear Point of No Return

REDACTED NEWS: Photo credit: White House

Well friends, the U.S. may use a nuclear weapon in Iran today.

In a news conference with military leaders on Monday, President Trump reiterated his deadline with Iran and said that "the entire country can be taken out in one night and that night might be tomorrow."

How do you take out an entire country in one night? One obvious answer is a nuclear weapon, but let’s hope that’s not what he meant.

Former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara famously said that nuclear weapons serve no military purpose whatsoever. Their only purpose is to deter your opponent from using them.

If Iran does not have a nuclear weapon, is it acceptable for the U.S. to use one against them because they refuse to open a critical global trade route?

Reminder: that Iran threatened to do this if attacked, so this was a predictable and avoidable escalation.

Iran has rejected President Trump’s ultimatums and presented their own conditions. They are not seeking a ceasefire. Instead, they want guarantees that the war will end permanently for Iran and its allies, that Israel withdraw from Lebanon, and that the U.S. lift all sanctions.

They have also proposed a $2 million fee for passage through the Strait of Hormuz, framed as reparations for damage to their country.

The U.S. is unlikely to accept this. President Trump said in his press conference that he ended President Obama’s Iran nuclear deal because it was bad for Israel. So, if you didn't already know, this is a war being fought for Israel, which means that it cannot end and the U.S. cannot accept those terms.

This is the scenario McNamara warned about decades ago: “The indefinite combination of human fallibility and nuclear weapons will destroy nations.”