Israel and Trump are saying they believe they destroyed one third of Iran’s missiles and damaged another one third but are unsure about the other third.
The onset of the assault by Trump and Netanyahu stated they were interested in disarming Iran’s nuclear capacity. It seems mission creep has set in and the ambitions to disarm Iran’s nuclear capabilities has turned into something different.
In the case of missile counts, that is best left to a neutral third party such as the IAEA. The United Nations inspectors can best determine on the ground the capabilities of Iran’s military. To that end the hostilities must stop and inspections to begin.
As to the Straits of Hormuz, it is best left to China and other countries willing to enter into financial agreements in paying safe passage through the sovereign Iranian Persian Gulf waters.
The current estimate to the use of the Persian Gulf for ship traffic is very low. Most shipping companies have found alternative routes for their goods. There is no reason to bomb Iran for control over its sovereign waters when so few ships are navigating those waters now.
There is no reason with the high casualty rate to continue to act against Iran when mission creep has taken over and there is uncertainty of Iran’s missile capacity. This is the very specific reason for United Nation inspectors to take over.
If Iran objects to inspections, given the newness of its leadership, it needs guidance.
