This is a needless war': Americans share their thoughts on the US-Israel attacks on Iran

"I don't have any love lost for the ayatollahs, said Iraj Roshan, a 66-year-old retired cardiologist and US citizen who was born in Tehran. But these wars are won by narrative. I don't see any way this war is going to end in a way that the US can declare victory without putting boots on the ground or without arming the Iranians themselves."

"Over the last decade, Donald Trump has denounced US military intervention in other countries. In December 2016, the then president-elect said: We will stop racing to topple foreign regimes that we know nothing about, that we shouldn't be involved with. On the campaign trail in 2016, 2020 and 2024, Trump and his allies spoke against foreign intervention, painting Democrats as enablers of war."

"I hate to see that so many American kids are going to be eventually dragged into a war that we cannot win at least by any definition that we could write down today. Roshan argues that the US government does not have a strategy in the Middle East."

Following a February 28 strike against Iran by the United States and Israel that killed hundreds of civilians and some US service members, the Guardian surveyed American readers about their views on the military action. Responses were predominantly disapproving. Iraj Roshan, a 66-year-old retired cardiologist born in Tehran, expressed concern that wars are won through narrative and questioned US strategy in the Middle East. He warned that victory appears impossible without deploying ground troops or arming Iran itself. Trump, who campaigned against foreign intervention in 2016, 2020, and 2024, faced criticism for the military action despite his previous anti-war rhetoric. Advisers like Stephen Miller had warned that Democratic leadership would lead to military escalation. Community members expressed concerns about impacts on their neighborhoods and the potential for young Americans to be drawn into an unwinnable conflict.

Read at www.theguardian.com