Protecting America Means Saying No to War with Iran

Why War with Iran Is Not in the Interest of the American People

The United States is once again being pushed toward another conflict in the Middle East—this time with Iran. Despite months of progress toward a new nuclear deal, recent Israeli airstrikes have derailed negotiations and killed several Iranian officials, making the prospect of war much more likely. These developments are being framed in the media as necessary to prevent an imminent threat, but the evidence for such a threat is lacking, and the real motivations appear far more complicated.

A war with Iran would be far more costly and dangerous than previous conflicts in Iraq or Afghanistan. Iran is larger, more populous, and militarily advanced, with difficult terrain and the ability to strike back at U.S. forces and allies in the region. Even a limited air and naval campaign would be enormously complex, expensive, and deadly.

The American people have already paid over two trillion dollars for decades of Middle Eastern wars, with little to show for it besides economic strain and loss of life. Another war would only deepen our fiscal crisis and further entangle the U.S. in a regional power struggle that offers no clear benefit to ordinary Americans.

The push for war is being justified by claims that Iran is desperate to acquire and use nuclear weapons against Israel, but this narrative ignores Iran’s history of restraint and willingness to negotiate strict international inspections. The real issue is geopolitical: a nuclear-armed Iran would disrupt Israel’s dominance in the region, which is why some politicians and media figures are so eager for U.S. intervention.

For most Americans—facing economic hardship and weary of endless wars—there is no justification for sacrificing more lives and resources for another regime change campaign in the Middle East. Protecting Israel’s nuclear monopoly is not worth the enormous cost1.

“For the economically-struggling American people who will be forced to spend trillions of additional dollars and sacrifice the lives of potentially thousands more of their children, siblings, and parents, a brand new war to protect Israel’s nuclear monopoly in the Middle East is clearly not worth it.”1

Read the full analysis here: mises.org/mises-wire/war-iran-not-interest-american-people