Should the United States take military action against Iran? While this may sound like a random question without much context, it’s one that often pops up whenever something horrible happens in the Middle East.
Some lawmakers are on record advocating for the use of force. Two days after Hamas slaughtered approximately 1,200 people in southern Israel and took another 240 captive last year, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) went on TV and advised President Joe Biden to hit Tehran hard. “If there is an escalation in this conflict, if hostages start getting killed, if Hezbollah in the north attacks Israel in strength, we should tell the Ayatollah we will destroy your oil refineries and your oil infrastructure,” he said.
The senator repeated that recommendation on Aug. 25, arguing that it was the best way to compel the Iranians into forcing Hamas to free the remaining hostages. Others have written that the U.S. should give Iran an ultimatum—eliminate the nuclear program—and pursue a military campaign if Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei refuses it.
Yet U.S. military force against Iran will have first and second-order effects, all of them negative.
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