Get the facts on Iran first

I am no fan of Iran or the role it has played in stirring up trouble in the Middle East. I am also old enough to remember the Gulf of Tonkin incident that Lyndon Johnson used as an excuse to go to war with North Vietnam.

With John Bolton agitating for a war with Iran since before his tenure as a White House adviser and President Trump’s ability to be manipulated by the ultra-conservatives with whom he has surrounded himself, I think we all need to be certain to get the full picture of what exactly is going on with the oil tankers in the Persian Gulf. Not just what has caused these ships to be damaged, but what were the lead-up events.

If these are truly unprovoked attacks, that’s one thing. If they are provoked responses meant to foment a confrontation, that’s something else. Before we build a case to send young people to war against a formidable enemy, let’s know exactly what is going on and not abandon the quest for finding a peaceful middle ground that we, and the Iranians, can live with.

Are Iranian actions an existential threat to the U.S. or do we just not hate the Iranians enough to want and excuse to bloody their nose? If it is the latter, the blood that will get spilled will be more than just the Iranians’ and could make America’s experience in Iraq look like a cake-walk.

Let’s get the facts.

Bob Schatz

Spokane