# Speculation About Trump's Underlying Reasons for Bombing Iran and Other Targets **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Tags:** iran-strikes-2026\ **Created:** [March 4, 2026, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-about-trumps-underlying-reasons-for-bombing-iran-and-other-targets/1028209 "2026-03-04T21:58:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2026, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-about-trumps-underlying-reasons-for-bombing-iran-and-other-targets/1028209/161 "2026-03-25T19:29:43Z")
But you understand than people resent foreign propped dictators more than home grown ones? you seem to expect people in Iran to coldly analyze the pros and cons of different dictatorships, as if they weren’t as stupidly human as you and me. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2026, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-about-trumps-underlying-reasons-for-bombing-iran-and-other-targets/1028209/162 "2026-03-25T19:30:55Z")
At least with regards to the current Iran war, attacked countries can say that the current American government is an enemy, or less plausibly that individual Americans are at fault because they didn’t personally lead a successful revolution. But I do not think that actions taken before the majority of people in a country were adults justifies wishing the downfall of a nation. There’s nothing that I could have even in theory done about it without a time machine. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2026, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-about-trumps-underlying-reasons-for-bombing-iran-and-other-targets/1028209/163 "2026-03-25T19:32:32Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > you seem to expect people in Iran to coldly analyze the pros and cons of different dictatorships Again, I’m not sure what you’re referring to. I was simply correcting the record about this statement: > [@Frodo](#): > > The U.S. supported a coup that put the Shah on power, The Shah was already in power. His Prime Minister Mossadegh suspended the constitution and tried to seize absolute power for himself in what is known as a _coup_. An Iranian general loyal to the Shah named Fazlollah Zahedi prevented this through a counter-coup. Zahedi had some American support, but it’s not like if America didn’t get involved the Shah and people loyal to him wouldn’t have tried to stop Mossadegh’s dictatorial takeover of Iran. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2026, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-about-trumps-underlying-reasons-for-bombing-iran-and-other-targets/1028209/164 "2026-03-25T19:33:46Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > But I do not think that actions taken before the majority of people in a country were adults justifies wishing the downfall of a nation. They don’t, but national cultures do not work in so coldly logical terms. And if the nation _continues_ to act in the same way that caused the original beef, people can be a bit justified in wishing for its downfall. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2026, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-about-trumps-underlying-reasons-for-bombing-iran-and-other-targets/1028209/165 "2026-03-25T19:36:59Z")
I see, we are getting bogged down on “supported a coup”. Let me rephrase, “The U.S. support kept the Shah in power, the Shah acted brutally, therefore people in Iran felt justified in assigning at least part of the blame for it the U.S.” would that be acceptable? ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2026, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-about-trumps-underlying-reasons-for-bombing-iran-and-other-targets/1028209/166 "2026-03-25T19:39:22Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > it’s not like if America didn’t get involved the Shah and people loyal to him wouldn’t have had the full support of the United Kingdom because those ~~petrodollars~~ petropounds have flow in the proper direction. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2026, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-about-trumps-underlying-reasons-for-bombing-iran-and-other-targets/1028209/167 "2026-03-25T19:40:57Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > had the full support of the United Kingdom because those ~~petrodollars~~ petropounds have flow in the proper direction. And they don’t like Britain, either. It’s just that Britain hasn’t spent the ensuing decades threatening and attacking them. The US has. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2026, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-about-trumps-underlying-reasons-for-bombing-iran-and-other-targets/1028209/168 "2026-03-25T19:44:55Z")
> [@Frodo](#): > > Let me rephrase, “The U.S. support kept the Shah in power, the Shah acted brutally, therefore people in Iran felt justified in assigning at least part of the blame for it the U.S.” would that be acceptable? Are we talking about what actually happened or how it’s perceived? I agree that this is a perception that exists which drives a lot of anti American hostility. I doubt it’s very accurate. I don’t think Mossadegh would have been able to stay in power for long whether or not America was helping the Shah; the military wasn’t on his side. And if he _did_ take power, he would almost certainly have been worse than the Shah based on what he got up to in his limited time in power - assuming he didn’t just get immediately overthrown by someone like the Ayatollah anyways. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2026, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-about-trumps-underlying-reasons-for-bombing-iran-and-other-targets/1028209/169 "2026-03-25T19:59:56Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > And how long have Americans been calling for the death of Iran? The majority of Iranians are good people. A lot of them have fled to other countries to get away from the Theocracy currently in charge. Nobody is calling for the “death of Iran”. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2026, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-about-trumps-underlying-reasons-for-bombing-iran-and-other-targets/1028209/170 "2026-03-25T20:23:07Z")
If Trump isn’t, he’s got a funny way of showing it. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2026, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-about-trumps-underlying-reasons-for-bombing-iran-and-other-targets/1028209/171 "2026-03-25T20:26:12Z")
Fact is, however you phrase it, the USA took a role in Iranian internal affairs in the mid-20th century, and ultimately this has not been to the benefit of Iranians or Americans. Other countries did not so meddle, and failing to intervene has not been to their detriment, though I’m leaving Israel out here because their situation is unique. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2026, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-about-trumps-underlying-reasons-for-bombing-iran-and-other-targets/1028209/172 "2026-03-25T20:31:23Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Nobody is calling for the “death of Iran”. The Trumpists have been. To quote Hegseth, "Our commanders factor all of this, but the only ones that need to be worried right now are the Iranians that think they’re gonna live.” Among other things. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2026, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-about-trumps-underlying-reasons-for-bombing-iran-and-other-targets/1028209/173 "2026-03-25T21:12:03Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Nobody is calling for the “death of Iran”. Sure sure. Except for the current president and his administration. Other than that, nobody. Well, all of MAGA. But really nobody if you don’t count all of them. ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2026, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-about-trumps-underlying-reasons-for-bombing-iran-and-other-targets/1028209/174 "2026-03-25T21:20:25Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Are we talking about what actually happened or how it’s perceived? What did I say that didn’t actually happen? Let’s review: "The U.S. support kept the Shah in power " do you deny this actually happened? “The Shah acted brutally” do you deny this happened? You can use all the counterfactuals you want but those are the historical facts. Also, other counterfactuals exist, perhaps Mossadegh would stayed, perhaps he would’ve replaced by something better than the Shah (not a very high bar), the point is that what actually happened is that the U.S. supported a murderous dictatorship and thus Iranians were/are angry about it. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2026, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-about-trumps-underlying-reasons-for-bombing-iran-and-other-targets/1028209/175 "2026-03-25T21:30:15Z")
**Barely Moderating:** Just a reminder - this thread is about Trump’s / MAGA’s/ Netanyahu’s underlying reasons for the recent campaign against Iran. I’m **not** saying that the historical meddling is off topic. I do suggest that you tie such discussion back to the _specific_ motivations and causations for the most recent conflict. I know it’s complicated, and the interaction of past, present, and future are inherently related, thus the looser moderation on this and the future speculation thread. So consider this a nudge, nothing more. No warnings, no mod notes directed at any individual poster. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2026, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-about-trumps-underlying-reasons-for-bombing-iran-and-other-targets/1028209/176 "2026-03-25T22:43:02Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > The Trumpists have been. To quote Hegseth, "Our commanders factor all of this, but the only ones that need to be worried right now are the Iranians that think they’re gonna live.” Among other things. He’s referring to the people in power. Not the people persecuted by them who want to remove them from power. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2026, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-about-trumps-underlying-reasons-for-bombing-iran-and-other-targets/1028209/177 "2026-03-26T02:22:38Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > He’s referring to the people in power. Not the people persecuted by them who want to remove them from power. And why should anyone buy that? Hegseth is bloodthirsty to the point of being a parody; he’s also right wing and both hates anyone not like him and _supports_ persecution. And Trump himself is a narcissistic psychopath who would cheerfully kill everyone in Iran if he could make half a buck on it. The idea that any of these people are motivated by any desire to save the poor Iranians from persecution is just absurd. They want to persecute _Americans,_ they certainly aren’t going to oppose the persecution of foreigners. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2026, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-about-trumps-underlying-reasons-for-bombing-iran-and-other-targets/1028209/178 "2026-03-27T02:54:52Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > And why should anyone buy that? Because its obvious. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2026, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-about-trumps-underlying-reasons-for-bombing-iran-and-other-targets/1028209/179 "2026-03-27T03:00:07Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Because its obvious. No, it’s utterly unbelievable that people like Trump and company have _any_ concern for human life, any interest in reducing rather than increasing persecution, or that the warhawks have suddenly developed a desire to avoid innocent casualties. It might as well be claimed that Hitler invade the USSR to rescue the Jews there. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2026, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-about-trumps-underlying-reasons-for-bombing-iran-and-other-targets/1028209/180 "2026-03-27T06:10:13Z")
[Senator Kennedy weighs in on this topic.](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/kennedy-iran-president-didn-t-000050039.html) > [@](#): > > Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said Wednesday that President Trump was finishing a war rather than starting one by entering a conflict alongside Israel against Iran late last month. > > “Here’s why we went into Iran: We had no choice. The president didn’t start a war, he was trying to stop a war. Iran basically said, “We’re producing 200 to 600 missiles a month, and we’re going to stockpile so many missiles that when we restart our nuclear program, if you try to do anything about it, we will destroy the entire Middle East, and we will hit London and Paris and Berlin,’” Kennedy told Fox Business Network’s Larry Kudlow on his show. > > “So, the president went in. His objectives were to destroy Iran’s missile manufacturing plants, destroy their drone manufacturing plants, destroy as many of their missiles as we can, destroy as many of their drones as we can, destroy the infrastructure of the Revolutionary Guard, destroy their navy and destroy their air force,” he added. > > On Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt indicated the U.S. was scaling back its military operation in Iran. > > “We are very close to meeting the core objectives of Operation Epic Fury, and this military mission continues unabated,” Leavitt told reporters, referring to the destruction of the Iranian navy and the U.S.’s work [toward the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz](https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/white-house-signals-core-objectives-194948392.html). I might buy that if Kennedy could prove even one word of it. A mighty big plus, also, if he could define exactly what the objectives of Operation Epic Fury are. That last one seems to be the most elusive moving target. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-about-trumps-underlying-reasons-for-bombing-iran-and-other-targets/1028209.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/speculation-about-trumps-underlying-reasons-for-bombing-iran-and-other-targets/1028209.md?page=10)