The Iran War is off to probably the best start of any war in modern history. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor is frequently regarded as treacherous but overwhelmingly effective; it permanently eliminated two elderly American battleships and severely damaged three others. But the beginning of the Iran war saw the elimination of almost the entire military and civilian leadership of the country and within three days the entire Iranian ocean-going Iranian Navy has been sunk, and the Iranians, despite their customary dire threats, have been unable to land a single serious blow against surrounding American bases or ships. The equivalent in December 1941 would have been the killing of President Roosevelt and his entire cabinet and the military leadership including Generals Marshall and MacArthur, and Admiral Nimitz, as well as the destruction of all of the country’s 17 battleships and all, (rather than none), of its aircraft carriers.
A F/A-18E Super Hornet preparing to make an arrested landing on the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) after a mission in support of Operation Epic Fury, on Feb. 28, 2026. U.S. Navy via AP
Commentary
