Putting Iran in a corner to manufacture consent
Castlebar, Ireland: In July 2015, an agreement was concluded with Iran, China, France, Germany, Russia, the U.K., the U.S. and the EU. It provided that Iran’s nuclear activities would be limited in exchange for reduced sanctions. In 2018, President Trump withdrew from the agreement.
Today, Trump has threatened war on Iran if it doesn’t sign a nuclear agreement. What’s the difference between the 2015 agreement and the one Trump wants signed now? He has assembled a fleet of warships, including the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, near Iran that will commence hostilities if Iran doesn’t comply. It would be the most stupid error for U.S. forces to attack Iran. It would also be a war crime.
Iran is not as defenseless as Trump seems to think. It doesn’t need to develop nuclear bombs. Iran has been supplying Vladimir Putin with many thousands of drones for his war against Ukraine. Russia has thousands of nuclear warheads, so it’s only logical to me that if Iran needs nuclear warheads, Russia will provide them. Keep in mind that Israel, which is Iran’s sworn enemy, has up to 400 nuclear warheads, so Iran has every right to defend itself. As for the American battle fleet awaiting orders from Trump, it’s in grave danger from hypersonic missiles that Iran will have acquired from Russia. I’m curious as to why U.S. defense chiefs are not discouraging Trump from this lunatic venture. They’ll become war criminals if the U.S. attacks Iran. They have learned no lessons from Vietnam or 9/11. John Fair
Hard pass
Brooklyn: I did not watch Trump’s State of the Union speech. I would rather get a colonoscopy without anesthesia than listen to him blabber about all the good things he thinks he has accomplished in his egotistical and narcissistic head. Dennis Burge
As the saying goes
Ashburn, Va.: Robert De Niro recently described Trump as “a clown who has brought the rest of the circus into the White House.” If this description sounds vaguely familiar, it may be that you’re recalling the ancient Circassian (Adyghe) proverb, “When an ox enters a palace, it doesn’t become a king, but the palace becomes a barn.” Centuries later, this evolved into a popular Turkish proverb: “When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn’t become a king, the palace becomes a circus.” Or maybe you don’t care about historical trivia. The important thing is that the ancient Circassians and Turks clearly foresaw Trump! And De Niro truly nailed it. Trump’s braggadocio State of the Union message about our surging economy and his compassionate ICE raids was the icing on the Circassian cake. Boy, we sure can pick ’em. Mike Barrett
In the tradition
Utica, N.Y.: It was inspiring to celebrate Festivus with Trump! Now that he has spent two hours on his “Airing of Grievances,” we await his first “Feat of Strength”! Jeff and Joan Ganeles
Raised eyebrows
Dublin: Yes, Voicer JoAnn Lee Frank, Democrats should stop all the name-calling and embrace Trump’s passion for spreading love, kindness and compassion for all regardless of race, color, creed, political affiliation or sexual identification. Barkeep, draw another pint of Guinness for me so I can drink a toast to the world’s foremost love spreader, President Trump. Sean Thornton
Robust response
Elmhurst: I see no reason to compliment the mayor, whereas he didn’t do anything. I will, however, offer congrats on a job well done to the NYC Sanitation Department. By that I do not mean the brass, I mean the rank and file who did an outstanding job of snow removal. It was fast, professional and well executed. Our city politicians may leave a lot to be desired, but our Sanitation Department makes up for it and is second to none. James League
Seen worse
Brooklyn: For us young enough to remember the great blizzard of 1978 along the East Coast, which shut down the whole region for a long time, this snowfall is minor in comparison. Where I lived in Newton, Mass., the whole region or city was shut down for two weeks because of the volume of snow and the tedious removal of it. In Boston, we got drifts so huge you could have jumped off a third-floor brownstone and landed safely in the drift. Lloyd Cohen
Assault with injuries
Woodside: Re “Tisch: It’s a crime. Zoh: It’s no big deal” (Feb. 25): Impeding a law enforcement investigation can’t be excused or treated lightly. The vicious attack on NYPD officers in Washington Square Park was not “frolicking,” it was a criminal act. Responding to 911 calls of a disorderly crowd jumping from and throwing objects off the bathroom roof, officers were relentlessly pelted with snowballs and ice chunks at close range that landed two in the hospital with head and face injuries. It’s an absolute no-brainer that obstructing officers in the conduct of their duty is a crime. The perpetrators were not children, but knowledgeable adults who willfully chose to harass public servants. It’s shameful when elected representatives fail to condemn these acts unequivocally, instead sitting on the fence and dampening the morale of those who put their lives on the line 24/7. This group act warrants a full investigation and swift prosecution. Atul Karnik
Left in the cold
Brooklyn: Mayor Mamdani, many New Yorkers got your message — you won’t defend the NYPD. The disrespect to our officers starts with you. You pick and choose what and who you like. Guess what? When it comes to NYC’s Finest, it’s your job to defend our police department the way they protect us. Throwing snowballs at our Finest isn’t to be taken lightly. It was an assault on the NYPD. During Sunday night’s blizzard, I saw uniformed officers standing in the freezing sleet and storm, protecting New Yorkers. I guess you were home, warm and toasty, with your NYPD security keeping Gracie Mansion safe. My message to you is wake up. Thanks, NYPD. I have your back. Mariann Tepedino
Sacred state
Great Neck, L.I.: In my younger years, the mantra I often heard was “I have nothing against Jews. In fact, some of my best friends are Jewish.” Today the mantra has turned into “my problem is not with the Jewish people, but with the state of Israel.” In truth, although I love Israel with all my heart and being, I can say that Israel has made some bad decisions in the past and isn’t perfect. But we as Jews have to thank Heaven every day for the state of Israel, the only country in the world that accepts all Jews unquestionably during bad times and good times. I wish that all my fellow Jews who constantly go out to publicly criticize Israel felt more secure in their Judaism to show more pride in the only Jewish country in the world, which everybody loves to hate. Gerald A. Traub
