Killing, destruction, trashing the global economy and making life miserable for America is not "winning"
Because so many died in the Soviet Union, the combined
Russian and U.S. military deaths in World War II were over twice
that of Germany. So Germany won — except for the small matter of the
Soviets and the U.S. occupying burned-out Berlin at the end of the war.
Similarly, U.S. forces suffered about
one tenth as many combat deaths as the Viet Cong and the North
Vietnamese Army in the Vietnam War. So we won. Except for the North Vietnamese
overrunning Saigon in 1975 and reunifying the country under Communist rule.
The same upside-down “logic” applies to Donald
Trump’s claim that the U.S. has defeated Iran — since our bombs have devastated
Iran and since the U.S. has killed many more Iranians than Iranians have killed
Americans.
Back in the real world, none of Trump’s war aims has been
achieved. Notwithstanding the cost to Iran and its people, Iran is emerging as
an even stronger regional power.
Trump demanded Iran “unconditionally surrender.” Iran has not surrendered. Trump promised “regime change.” Iran’s theocratic rulers remain in power. The U.S. would seize the nuclear materials Iran needs for atom bombs. But Iran retains its stockpile of enriched uranium — and after being attacked, may decide to develop a weapon in the future.
Whatever damage the U.S. military inflicts on Iran, the
country still has sufficient power to attack oil tankers in the Strait of
Hormuz, threaten U.S. allies in the region, and hold hostage the world economy.
The result: The entire world suffers shortages of oil,
natural gas, and fertilizer. The price of gasoline in the U.S. has soared —
likewise the cost of fertilizers, impacting farmers and food prices. Since
energy costs impact every aspect of the economy, most everything else will soon
grow more expensive.
This is not victory.
There was no reason to go to war in the first place. Trump
repeatedly lied, asserting Iran was on the verge of making an atomic
bomb. But
experts, including our own intelligence agencies, say the menace was
imaginary.
One year ago the U.S. intelligence community issued a report
on Iran. They
concluded: “Iran is not building a nuclear weapon.” Nonetheless, three
months later, Trump bombed Iranian nuclear facilities and bragged, “Iran’s key
nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.”
This year’s 2026
threat assessment was no different. The report asserted only that Iran
“was intending to try to recover from the devastation its nuclear
infrastructure sustained” last year. This statement plainly meant there was no
imminent threat.
Even had Iran actually been moving toward an atomic bomb,
war was not necessary.
Before Donald Trump became president, the United
States had a signed agreement with Iran, negotiated under
President Obama, that restrained Iran from
becoming a nuclear power. The deal included a comprehensive system of
international inspections to detect any violations and any Iranian moves toward
building a nuclear bomb.
Trump tore up the agreement, asserting he could have
negotiated a much better one. But he never did — and because of his actions, it
will be much harder to arrive at a reasonable nonproliferation agreement.
We have the power to pound Iran with bombs. But not enough
power to stop Iran from closing the Strait of Hormuz and inflicting de facto
“sanctions” on America and the world.
If Trump can recognize reality, perhaps an accommodation can be reached. But America will not swiftly recover from the damage of this illegal, immoral, unprovoked, and reckless war.
Mitchell Zimmerman is an attorney, longtime social activist, and author of the anti-racism thriller Mississippi Reckoning. His writing can also be found on his Substack, Reasoning Together with Mitchell Zimmerman. This op-ed was distributed by OtherWords.org.
