Undeclared War
To the Editor:
In November 1979, I was flying from New Delhi to London; the flight went over Iran. Before I left India, I read in the Times of India that there was a revolution in Iran, and American embassy officers had been taken hostage. There was a picture of blindfolded American hostages in the paper. I remember hoping we didn’t have to land in Iran.
Now 47 years later, Iran has another hostage, Mr. Trump. Mr. Trump started a war he thought he could quickly win. I don’t think he did his homework on Iran. Instead, this unsanctioned war has been going on for weeks, months. It’s affecting almost everyone in the world. The Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed, virtually shut to shipping. No oil, no liquefied natural gas, no fertilizer, no helium is passing through the strait, all things that the world uses and needs.
The Iranians have a big lever to use against the world. Just a reminder, the Strait was open before Mr. Trump started this war of choice. I believe the Iranians see that this war is unpopular in the U.S. and around the world. With the rising price of gasoline, diesel, fertilizer, liquefied natural gas, Iranian leaders think they can wait this out; they have nothing to lose.
