There is no doubt that the Iranian regime is a repressive and violent one, but there has never been any proven risk that they would develop a nuclear bomb.
In 2015, Iran and then American President Barak Obama had signed the historic Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which limited Iranian nuclear development in return for sanctions relief and other provisions. The ultimate agreement was finalized between Iran, the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, and the European Union.
Under this agreement, Iran’s uranium enrichment was permitted only for civilian nuclear power purposes, while Iran allowed intrusive monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency of its nuclear fuel related activities. In return, Iran received relief from nuclear-related sanctions imposed by the United Nations, the EU, and the United States.
All was going well until 2017 when Donald Trump was elected president. He had campaigned on renegotiating the agreement, calling the deal “a disaster” and alleging that it could lead to a nuclear holocaust. Within months of taking office, he refused to certify that Iran was complying with expectations – effectively pulling America out of the deal.
In May 2018, the U.S. formally withdrew from the agreement and imposed even harsher economic sanctions on Iran under what it termed a maximum pressure campaign. For some years afterward, other signatories maintained their support for the agreement, while Iran continued to limit its level of uranium enrichment. They finally ended the agreement in October 2025 in the aftermath of the June 2025 Iran–Israel war.
Historically, relations between the U.S. and Iran have been complicated and Trump’s open hostility to the country has only made the situation worse, as has his clear support for Iran’s enemy, Israel.
And while there is no question that Iran is a major cause of the ongoing political unrest in the region with its continued opposition to Israel’s existence and its financial support for violent Israeli opponents such as Hamas and Hezbollah, none of that excuses the recent unhinged actions of Donald Trump’s régime in partnership with Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israeli government.
The latest open conflict began on June 21, 2025, when the U.S. bombed three Iranian nuclear enrichment sites on the pretext of destroying the country’s ability to enrich uranium to weapons-grade level. Trump called the attack “a spectacular military success” and bragged that “Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated”. As a result of the attacks, Iran pulled out of nuclear talks with the U.S.
In February 2026, the U.S. and Iran entered into a new round of discussions, with Oman as a mediator. Negotiations seemed to be proceeding well when — with no warning — on Saturday, February 28th U.S. and Israeli forces began an all-out bombing of Iran, once again citing the danger of Iran attaining nuclear weapons capability as one of the reasons.
On the first day of this conflict, massive bombings targeted Irani leaders and critical infrastructure. Iran’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was assassinated; at least 201 residents were killed; and at least 700 more were injured. Most egregiously, U.S. forces bombed an elementary school, killing approximately 175 innocent schoolgirls and staff.
Daily bombings have increased since then and other countries have been pulled into the conflict. As of March 9th at least 1,230 people have been killed.
Trump’s partner in war – Benjamin Netanyahu – was previously charged by the International Criminal Court as a war criminal due to his attacks on Gaza. He is subject to arrest in a number of countries.
Donald Trump has not been officially indicted yet, but his actions in Iran have been condemned as war crimes by organizations such as Democracy Now. It can be only matter of time before he too faces international criminal charges. That will be too late for many doomed, innocent Iranians.
Since the end of World War Two, philosophers have grappled with this question: Would it have been ethically acceptable for opponents to have assassinated Adolph Hitler, if doing so would have saved millions of lives?
I have always been clear in my mind in answering this question with a definitive Yes.
Is it now time for this question to be asked about Donald Trump? I leave the answer to you.
Daily atmospheric CO2 [Courtesy of CO2.Earth]
Latest daily total (March 12, 2026): 429.73ppm
One year ago (March 11, 2025): 429.15ppm
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