M.D. CREEKMORE

The easiest way to sell a war is to start the story in the middle.

Leave out what the United States and Israel did first. Leave out the sanctions, assassinations, coups, military bases and decades of threats. Then begin the story the moment Iran responds and call Iran the aggressor.

That is exactly what is happening now.

They say Iran is attacking Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait and other countries.

What they leave out is that Iran is largely targeting American military bases, radar systems, aircraft and other U.S. assets located in those countries—assets being used to support attacks against Iran.

That does not mean every Iranian strike is justified or that civilians are not being endangered. But Iran is not randomly attacking those countries for no reason. The United States placed military forces throughout the region, used those forces against Iran and then acted shocked when Iran fired back at those locations.

They say Iran sponsors terrorists.

Iran does support Hamas and Hezbollah.

Both groups have attacked civilians, and those attacks should be condemned. But pretending these groups appeared out of nowhere because Iran simply loves terrorism is dishonest.

Hamas grew out of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and occupation. Hezbollah developed during and after Israel’s invasion and occupation of southern Lebanon.

You do not have to support either group to understand why they exist.

The official narrative removes the occupation, invasions and territorial conflict and reduces everything to, “Iran supports terrorists because Iran is evil.”

That is propaganda, not history.

They say Iran chants “Death to America.”

That is true, and I do not defend the slogan.

But why do many Iranians hate the American government?

The United States and Britain helped overthrow Iran’s elected prime minister in 1953 after Iran tried to take control of its own oil.

The coup helped strengthen the rule of the Shah, a brutal dictator backed by the United States.

After that came decades of sanctions, covert operations, assassinations, military threats and support for Iran’s enemies.

That history does not justify hatred toward ordinary Americans. But it does explain why hostility toward the American government did not appear out of thin air.

They say Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz and America must reopen it.

What they leave out is that the strait was open before the United States and Israel attacked Iran.

Commercial ships were passing through it. Oil and natural gas were moving through it.

The war turned the strait into a combat zone.

Now Washington is using the consequences of the war as justification for expanding the war.

Attack Iran.

Iran retaliates in the Strait of Hormuz.

Then claim more bombing and possibly ground troops are needed to reopen the strait.

That is like setting a house on fire and then demanding praise for bringing a garden hose.

They say Iran refuses diplomacy.

What they leave out is that Trump withdrew the United States from the nuclear agreement during his first term.

That agreement restricted Iran’s nuclear program and allowed international monitoring and inspections.

After the United States walked away and restored sanctions, Iran eventually reduced its commitments, increased enrichment and restricted some inspections.

Then Washington pointed to the collapse of the agreement it abandoned as proof that Iran could not be trusted.

They say Iran was racing to build a nuclear bomb.

What they leave out is that America’s own intelligence agencies said Iran had not authorized the construction of a nuclear weapon.

Iran had enriched uranium and the technical ability to move closer to a bomb. That was a serious concern.

But having the capability to build a weapon is not the same as actually deciding to build one.

The former supreme leader also publicly declared nuclear weapons forbidden under Islamic law.

Maybe Iran was lying. Governments lie—including Iran.

But our own intelligence agencies were not saying Iran had made the decision to build a bomb.

They say bombing Iran will stop it from becoming nuclear.

This war may accomplish the exact opposite.

Iran can look at Iraq and Libya, two countries that did not have nuclear deterrents when they were attacked or overthrown.

Then it can look at nuclear-armed North Korea, which nobody seriously talks about invading.

The lesson is obvious:

Countries without nuclear weapons get bombed.

Countries with nuclear weapons are treated much more carefully.

So this war may take a country that had not decided to build a bomb and give it the strongest possible reason to build one as quickly and secretly as possible.

They say Iran is attacking American troops.

That is true.

What they leave out is that American troops are not being attacked in Ohio, Tennessee or Texas.

They are stationed at military bases surrounding Iran, and some of those bases are supporting attacks against Iran.

Again, that does not automatically make every Iranian attack justified. But it changes the picture from an unprovoked attack on America to retaliation during an active regional war.

They say Iran is destabilizing the Middle East.

Iran does interfere in neighboring countries and supports armed groups.

But the United States has military bases across the region, invaded Iraq, helped overthrow Iran’s government in 1953, imposed decades of sanctions, supported Israel militarily and carried out strikes and assassinations.

Apparently, when Iran interferes in another country, it is called destabilization.

When Washington does it, it is called leadership.

They say Iran has been beaten and has nothing left.

That is one of the most obvious lies of all.

A country with nothing left does not continue launching missiles and drones, attacking military bases, disrupting shipping and forcing the United States to expand its bombing campaign.

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