SATISH SHARMA - not just Rotigraphy.: The Trump administration case for going to war in Iran is false from top to bottom. It is based on a web of transparent lies:

The Trump administration case for going to war in Iran is false from top to bottom. It is based on a web of transparent lies: 1) President Trump has repeatedly stated that previous U.S. strikes (such as "Operation Midnight Hammer" in June 2025) "completely and fully obliterated" Iran’s nuclear program. However, intelligence assessments from the CIA and Pentagon suggest the program was only set back by months or a few years, with key components like centrifuges remaining mostly intact. 2) Trump stated in his recent State of the Union address that Iran has plans to build a missile capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. However, Iran's current ballistic missiles have a maximum range of approximately 1,850 miles. 3) Trump has publicly insisted that his top military advisor, General Dan Caine, believes a war with Iran would be "easily won". However, General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other top military officials have raised serious concerns about the risks of a prolonged conflict and the lack of a clear exit strategy. 4) In his 2026 State of the Union address, Trump claimed at least 32,000 people were killed in recent Iranian protests. Human rights organizations, such as the Human Rights Activist News Agency, have officially counted approximately 7,000 dead—significantly lower than the president's figure. 5) The administration has suggested the president has the final decision-making power for a strike. However, Article I of the Constitution requires congressional authorization for offensive military operations. 6) The administration has shifted between claiming the goal is a "better deal" and hinting at regime change. Critics argue that the "maximum pressure" campaign and military buildup actually make a diplomatic deal less likely, as Iran has signaled it will "respond hard" to any strikes, potentially ending all negotiations. 7) Trump claims Iran refuse to give up on their desire to develop nuclear weapons. However, Iranian negotiators in Geneva continue to insist that "Iran will under no circumstances ever develop a nuclear weapon". 8) Publicly, high-ranking officials like Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Envoy Brian Hook have explicitly stated that the administration’s goal is not regime change, but rather "weakening" the government to secure a better nuclear deal. However, President Trump himself has muddied this by stating that regime change would be the "best thing" and inviting Iranians to "overthrow" their leaders if they cannot "Make Iran Great Again". 9) While the administration claims any military action would be "limited" and not an "open-ended" war like Iraq or Afghanistan, military advisors like General Dan Caine have reportedly warned this is a false premise, as any strike would likely lead to a prolonged regional conflict. 10) The Trump administration is overstating the strength of exiled opposition groups. In addition, many leading dissidents inside Iran have explicitly denounced foreign military intervention. Internal data suggests that even those who despise the current regime often rally to its side when the country is attacked by foreign powers, viewing it as a matter of national survival rather than political support. The Basij and IRGC (Revolutionary Guard) networks, which number in the hundreds of thousands and have a personal stake in the regime's survival. Government employees and pensioners who, despite suffering from inflation, fear that a total state collapse would leave them with nothing. 11) The regime change argument assumes there is an opposition ready to take over under Reza Pahlavi. There isn't. internal Iranian opposition is deeply fragmented among monarchists, republicans, ethnic minorities (like Kurds and Azeris), and leftists. Intelligence officials have warned that overestimating any single exiled group could lead to a power vacuum and civil war similar to Libya or Syria, rather than a stable transition to democracy. We know the Trump administration lies endlessly about everything. We know the US has habitually lied to get the US involved in wars in the past. We know the US is lying about several elements of a potential war with Iran. They cannot be trusted.

1:39 PM · Feb 26, 2026