Dr. Ron Paul said the Pentagon announced over the weekend that four more U.S. soldiers had been killed in what he described as President Trump's war on Iran, bringing the acknowledged total to 17. Paul wrote that many believe the actual number of dead U.S. service members is higher. He also said the Pentagon has claimed it is not required to disclose how many military personnel have been injured, which he argued suggests the injury count may be far higher than has been publicly reported. Many of those injuries, he said, are likely to be severe and life-changing.

Paul cited President Trump's April 12 interview with Fox News, in which Trump said Iran "has no cards. Their navy is gone. Their air force is gone. Totally gone. They have nothing." Paul contrasted that statement with developments three months later, saying U.S. bases in the region continued to come under successful attack, billions of dollars in U.S. military equipment continued to be destroyed, and U.S. service members continued to be killed and wounded.

According to Paul, President Trump launched the war in February without Congressional approval because he believed Iran, located 6,000 miles away, posed an existential threat to the United States. At the same time, Paul wrote, Trump also believed the Iranian government was so weak that a few days of bombing would cause its political system to collapse and allow a "US-friendly" government to be installed.

Paul questioned the logic of those assumptions, asking how a country could be powerful enough to threaten the United States while also being so weak that it was supposedly on the verge of collapse.

Five months later, Paul wrote, the United States continues to attack Iran in an effort to open the Strait of Hormuz, which he said had been open before the war, and to stop a nuclear weapons program that he said does not exist. The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world's most critical energy chokepoints, through which roughly a fifth of globally consumed oil passes daily, making any disruption there a direct concern for energy markets and economies worldwide. Paul added that America's middle and working classes are being left with the cost of what he called a senseless war, a price tag he said could exceed $1 trillion.

Paul argued that this is why the U.S. Constitution requires war to be declared by Congress after extensive deliberation. Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution explicitly grants Congress the sole power to declare war, while Article II designates the president as commander in chief—a separation the Framers designed to prevent any single official from unilaterally committing the nation to armed conflict. Paul wrote that the Framers sought to protect the new country from the whims of a King George or any other monarch who could take the nation to war at will. The patriots who fought for independence, he said, opposed the same kind of political system now in place because they understood the damage that endless and foolish wars can inflict on a country.

Paul also wrote that the Framers assumed members of the legislative branch would have enough character to prevent an executive from abusing power in this way. Congress, he said, was given the tools needed to stop such actions, but members today remain silent and unwilling to carry out the duty required by their offices. Most, he argued, would rather avoid the burden of declaring war because they fear an unpopular conflict could damage their re-election prospects. The War Powers Resolution of 1973, passed over President Nixon's veto, requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of committing armed forces to hostilities and withdraw them within 60 days absent a congressional declaration or authorization, though successive administrations of both parties have contested its constitutionality.

Paul cited a recent poll featured in The Washington Post showing that nearly seven in 10 Americans disapprove of President Trump's handling of the Iran war. Alongside the economy, he wrote, the Iran war is one of the most important issues concerning Americans today.

Over the weekend, Paul said, President Trump announced that "we hit (Iran) very hard again…in honor of the three" service members killed in recent days. Paul argued that striking Iran again does not honor dead U.S. service members and instead ensures that more Americans will follow them. If the president truly wants to honor the military, Paul wrote, he should declare an end to the war, bring all U.S. troops home from the region, and announce that destroyed U.S. bases will not be rebuilt. "It is time to end the American empire and come home," Paul said.

About the author

Dr. Ron Paul is an American author, activist, physician, and retired politician. A self-described constitutionalist, Paul has criticized the federal government's fiscal policies, including the existence of the Federal Reserve and tax policy, as well as the military-industrial complex, the war on drugs, and the war on terror. He has also criticized mass surveillance policies, including the USA PATRIOT Act and NSA surveillance programs.

Ron Paul is on X. More information is available from the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity.

Copyright © The Ron Paul Institute. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is granted, provided full credit and a live link are given.