The War That Returned to Its Birthplace
The US military aggression against Iran has now spread beyond the battlefield and diplomatic tables, with its consequences reaching American gas stations and even moral and religious disputes in Washington.
According to Ambassador Arjan's report, Farhikhtegan newspaper wrote: America's military aggression against Iran has now gone beyond the battlefield and diplomatic tables. Its consequences have been extended to American gas pumps, the corridors of Congress, and even moral and religious disputes in Washington. Rising fuel prices, the pressure of which is directly imposed on the daily lives of Americans, have drawn concerns about the continuation of war costs from Trump's opponents to a part of the Republican voting base. At the same time, the gradual publication of casualty statistics and the Pentagon's accusation of concealment about military losses have raised a new question: "To what extent does the government share the reality of the war with the people's representatives?" This issue has caused American lawmakers to demand access to information about damage to American military bases in the West Asian region.
Pete Hegst's ideological decisions, from the expansion of the role of religion in the Department of Defense to the plan to live broadcast the execution of a convict, have provoked opposition that has even made its way into the conservative stream and Trump's close associates. The juxtaposition of these three conflicts shows that the costs of war for the aggressor are not measured only by economic and military numbers; Even if the geography of that country is thousands of kilometers away from the military battlefield and they think that they will be completely immune from the damage of war due to their geographical distance from the battle, the gap over livelihood, transparency and social values has also become an increasing challenge in American domestic politics. The war, which was supposed to show the power of America outside its borders, has now become one of the factors of intensifying disputes and protests inside this country.
The increase in the price of gasoline in the United States has become one of the factors that exacerbate public dissatisfaction and political differences in this country; The differences that are now not only between Democrats and Republicans, but its signs have also been revealed within the Republican Party and among Donald Trump's supporters. In a field report on 26 September 1405 (September 17), the English Independent newspaper, Eric Garcia, sent his reporter to the US Congress building to ask the representatives of both parties, when was the last time they gasped and how much did they pay to fill their car tank, and what do they think about the increase in fuel prices? The answers of the representatives showed that the concern about the high price of gasoline reached both parties.
Nancy Mays, the Republican representative of South Carolina, announced that the last time she paid nearly $100 for gas, she considered this amount to be too expensive. Florida Republican Representative Aaron Bean also complained about the high cost of fuel. Rep. Ralph Norman, another Republican, said he last paid $69 to fill up his car. Despite defending Trump on the issue of the Iran war, he stressed that the president should explain the current situation to the people. Two other Republican representatives, Nick LaLotta and Andrew Clyde, also declined to directly answer the reporter's question. Mike Johnson, the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, also admitted that the price of gasoline and diesel is too high. On the other hand, Trump described the increase in fuel prices as a small cost compared to what he called the gains of the war with Iran.
This difference of opinion is raised in a situation where Ambassador Arjan announced in a report on Mehr 17, 1405 (October 9) that the average price of a gallon of gasoline in America has reached $4.36, while this figure was $3.11 in the same period last year. At the same time, a joint survey by Ambassador Arjan and the Ipsos Institute shows that 78% of Americans, including 64% of Republicans, consider the Trump administration somewhat responsible for increasing the cost of living, and 40% of Republicans are dissatisfied with the government's performance in curbing inflation. The Guardian newspaper also reported in a report on October 15, 1405 (October 7), citing an audio file published by the American media Axios, that Ken Paxton, the Republican candidate for the Senate in Texas, admitted in a private meeting that the war with Iran and the increase in the price of gasoline and diesel have become serious electoral problems for the Republican Party.
He has described the cost of living pressure as the biggest electoral problem of his party. On the other hand, Ambassador Arjan reported in a separate survey on Mehr 15, 1405 (October 7) that Republican candidates have distanced themselves from Trump in some political positions in 41 cases out of 62 sensitive congressional races; Disputes related to Iran's war among others. A series of reports by Independent, Reuters, Guardian and Axios show that the increase in gasoline prices and the cost of living has become one of the axes of serious disagreement in American domestic politics. The evidence shows that the economic pressure caused by high energy costs has made the gap between the White House's positions and the concerns of some representatives, election candidates and Republican voters more obvious.
The increase in human casualties and US military losses in the war with Iran, along with the accusation of the Donald Trump administration's concealment about the true dimensions of these losses, has become another axis of disagreement between the White House and Congress. Reuters announced on 14 October 1405 (October 6) that Chris Murphy, a Democratic Senator and a member of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, after his trip to Qatar and Saudi Arabia, accused the US Department of War of an organized effort to hide the costs and consequences of the Iran war.
Murphy, who planned to visit the US military bases in the region, announced that the Pentagon did not allow him to enter Al-Adeed Air Base in Qatar, the largest US military base in the Middle East, and even opposed holding a briefing with the military commanders of the region. He emphasized to reporters in Riyadh that this trip has confirmed for him the existence of an unprecedented and unconstitutional attempt to hide the costs of war from Congress and the American people; But the Pentagon considered this restriction as a result of the March 3 security order of Secretary of War Pete Hegst and announced that the regulations are applied equally to everyone. CNN also addressed this issue in an interview with Murphy on 16 Mehr 1405 (October 8). In this conversation, Murphy emphasized that, contrary to the Pentagon's claim, the main issue is not security, but preventing the extent of war damages from being revealed. He explained that despite the ban on entering military bases, he was able to visit the damage caused to the American embassy in Riyadh; According to him, the damages were very extensive. The Guardian newspaper and the specialized publication Defense News also reported that Murphy has accused Pete Hegst of obstructing congressional oversight and delaying the release of casualty information.
The Washington Post newspaper revealed in a report that the Pentagon has quietly increased the official number of dead soldiers in operations related to the Iran war from 19 to 21, and the number of injured has also increased to 865. Citing military sources, this newspaper previously reported that the actual number of casualties in the region is higher than the official statistics. Also, in another report, the Washington Post reported the addition of 37 wounded to the Pentagon's official statistics without providing a public explanation. What makes this crisis more dangerous for the Trump administration is not only the increase in military casualties, but also the formation of the impression in the American society that the White House is deliberately hiding the true dimensions of the war's damages. The silent increase in the number of dead and injured, along with preventing congressional oversight, has fueled public distrust and exacerbated political differences over the continuation of the war. This process can turn into an internal crisis by increasing the anger of military families, expanding anti-war opposition and intensifying the confrontation between Congress and the White House; A crisis that questions the legitimacy of Trump's war decisions more than ever.
The third axis of intensifying the divide in American society goes back to the ideological actions of some members of Donald Trump's cabinet, especially Pete Hegst, the Secretary of War; Actions that have provoked political and religious protests even among conservatives. On Mehr 8, 1405 (September 30), Hegst announced the establishment of the Office of Religious Affairs in the Pentagon; An institution that will work directly under his supervision and is responsible for supporting military chaplains and strengthening religious programs in the army. Emphasizing that the main battle is a spiritual battle, he called for strengthening the role of religion in the military structure. This decision, along with reducing the number of recognized religious affiliations from more than 200 cases to 31 cases, was met with protests by groups defending the separation of religion from the government, i.e. secular. Americans United for Separation of Church and State accused Heggst of promoting a Christian nationalist agenda in the military; Although the Pentagon emphasizes that religious participation will not be mandatory; But the biggest controversy came when Hegst announced that the execution of Nidal Hassan, the perpetrator of the 2009 Fort Hood shooting, would be carried out by firing squad and the public could watch it live.
This decision provoked a wave of bipartisan opposition. Tom Tillis, the Republican senator, called broadcasting the execution a disgusting act, and John Curtis, another Republican senator, warned against turning the execution into public entertainment; Even Trump's Vice President JD Vance, while supporting Hasan's punishment, expressed doubts about the plan being carried out live and said he would not watch it. Catholic and evangelical church leaders also protested this decision. Trump announced that he has not yet made a final decision about the live broadcast. The set of these reactions shows that Hegst's ideological policies, beyond the usual party differences, have turned into a dispute about religious freedom, public morality, and the limits of government power, and have widened the gap and protest not only among Trump's opponents, but also within the Republican movement and the religious body of American society.