Letters to the Editor: Trump committed a totally unnecessary act of war against Iran

To the editor: There is only one way to report the assassination of a general of another sovereign nation: as an act of war. No matter how evil one thinks this guy is — and there is good argument that Iranian Gen. Qassem Suleimani was pretty bad — you cannot just render international justice via drone because of one man’s decree.

It is sad that we keep concentrating on only Suleimani’s death, because there were others who were killed in this strike. The collateral damage of children left fatherless and women widowed is so insignificant that we barely report on it.

It is not a question of if Iran will retaliate, but of when and how harshly. When the U.S. and Israel cyberattacked —relatively recently — Iran’s nuclear program, it didn’t take long for Iran to retaliate with its own cyberattack on U.S. interests.

Iran’s wrath is coming. Let’s brace ourselves and not make this type of mistake again. Iran needs to be dealt with like a sovereign nation, not a delinquent child.

Hirbod Rashidi, Temecula

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To the editor: Trump’s rationalization that his order to execute Suleimani was necessary to protect Americans lives from imminent peril is strongly reminiscent of President George W. Bush’s insistence that Iraqi weapons of mass destruction justified an invasion.

Given this president’s poor record on honesty and fair dealing, and in the absence of any reliable corroborating evidence from outside his sycophantic administration of the existence and nature of an imminent threat, it is reasonable to look for alternative explanations for this action.

One such explanation is obvious: A renewed armed conflict in the Middle East or increased terrorist attacks throughout the world serve Trump’s reelection ambitions very well. After all, one doesn’t change horses in the middle of a stream or presidents in the middle of a crisis.

Carolyn Magnuson, Tucson

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To the editor: It has been said that history doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.

In early 2020, a boastful U.S. president, safe in his tropical resort, needlessly escalates and pours gasoline on an already smoldering Middle East. We are assured that if war results, it will be over quickly.

In 1914, a boastful German kaiser, safe in his palace, needlessly ignited the European powder keg and assured the German people that their soldiers would “be home before the leaves fall.”

History’s catastrophes are almost always the result of hubris rather than rational thought. I hope the result this time is different, but it’s hard to imagine that with this president.

Pete Skacan, Manhattan Beach