Do I Have Buyer's Remorse Over Backing War With Iran? Not Yet

Ruben Navarrette
Tue, 10 Mar 2026 17:23:57 -0700
Opinion

SAN DIEGO — Americans are living in the Age of Obstinance. When it comes to politics, we're single-minded and we double down.

We take a stance, and we dig in. We're reluctant to admit that we voted for the wrong person, or that our position on an issue is no longer valid. We're taught to bluster and pontificate. We're also taught to never admit mistakes. We're not supposed to even flinch.

The latest war in the Persian Gulf has me flinching. It's only been about 10 days since the United States — with a helping hand from Israel — attacked Iran. And, as a supporter, I'm already uneasy.
Updated: Tue Mar 10, 2026

SAN DIEGO — Americans are living in the Age of Obstinance. When it comes to politics, we're single-minded and we double down.

We take a stance, and we dig in. We're reluctant to admit that we voted for the wrong person, or that our position on an issue is no longer valid. We're taught to bluster and pontificate. We're also taught to never admit mistakes. We're not supposed to even flinch.

The latest war in the Persian Gulf has me flinching. It's only been about 10 days since the United States — with a helping hand from Israel — attacked Iran. And, as a supporter, I'm already uneasy.

I'm not unsure. Not yet. This showdown with the Gulf Bully was going to occur sooner or later. Given Iran's unrelenting march to a nuclear weapon, later was not an option. In a world of bad actors, Iran is one of the worst. And its strategic alliances with China and Russia — which are now out in the open — threaten the United States.

I just wish this war that I support was being fought with less bravado and more competence by the Trump administration.

Don't tell me lies about how the U.S. military should have this whole mess mopped up in "four to five weeks," according to President Donald Trump.

For the last 47 years, a string of U.S. presidents — including Trump I — must have heard the chants of "Death to America" coming from the general direction of Tehran. They ignored them. Republicans and Democrats alike avoided confronting Iran over its atrocities by proxy, micro-aggressions and efforts to export terrorism.

Why? Take a good look at the fiery images now coming out of the Middle East and you can see why. A military conflict with Iran was considered too complicated, too difficult, and too chaotic. You really have to be a little bit crazy to pick that fight. Unfortunately for the Islamic militants who control Iran, crazy is one of Trump's specialties.

We should not take Iran lightly. This is no paper tiger. It's the real thing. The country has about 92 million people, rich oil reserves, fanatical leaders, and an iron-clad determination to set its own course.

It's not going to take orders from anyone, least of all Uncle Sam. That message came through loud and clear when the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was replaced by his 56-year-old son, Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei. As to whether the new boss will be just like the old boss, no one can say for sure. It's too soon to tell.

I bet that the son will take a different approach. After all, he hails from a different generation. He may be tougher, or softer. He could be more pragmatic, or more ideological. We'll see what "different" means. But don't expect one Khamenei to be a carbon copy of the other.

What we can expect is that what little public support there is among Americans for this war will wither as time goes on, gas prices go up and the number of U.S. military casualties increases.

According to a recent Quinnipiac Poll, about half of registered voters — 53% — oppose the U.S. military strikes against Iran. Only 4 in 10 Americans support the war, and about 1 in 10 are unsure.

Judging from what I've heard in the public discourse over the last 10 days, many of those who oppose the war prefer to focus on how terrible Trump is. Meanwhile, many of those who support the war would rather focus instead on how horrible Iran is.

At the moment, I don't feel like defending either. That's one reason why I'm flinching.

As the world's No. 1 mischief maker, Iran needed to be sent a message. But the Trump administration is an imperfect messenger. The three not-so-wise men spearheading Operation Epic Fury — i.e., Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — have been heavy on sloppy talk and light on solid planning. It's obvious they didn't think this through.

Yet, in the big picture, I still believe that the United States is — as former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, a Democrat, put it in 1998 — the world's sole "indispensable nation" because it can "see further than other countries into the future."

Good for the United States. But I can't see that far. I'm not yet ready to say that this war was a mistake, and I may never get there. But ask me in a month. If I'm wrong, I'll know by then.