Some people believe that war is all about finances, making money, changing economic fortunes, for both individuals and countries. Some people believe that wars are for power or land. And some believe that wars are based upon religion or philosophical differences that cannot be resolved peacefully. We know that for Iran, it is about theology. For Israel, it is about existential survival.
And I suspect that soon we will see what the real motivation is for the Trump administration.
The president is receiving a tremendous amount of pressure from leaders of foreign nations like Macron, as well as from some of his closest advisors (according to the Wall Street Journal), to declare victory, withdraw from this war, and stabilize oil prices. But he is also receiving pressure from people who really understand the geopolitical situation of the Middle East, the deeper theological underpinnings, and are not concerned with oil prices or economics. They want to continue this war until there is no chance that Iran will ever be able to develop weapons of mass destruction, which, if they had, they would undoubtedly use to attack the West. Trump has made comments in the last 24 hours alluding to this war being finished quickly and soon, and he has also made comments in the same time period of the last 24 hours that we will only leave when the mission is completely finished. Some of his seemingly contradictory statements of just the last day include:
- “…the war with Iran is pretty much over.” “They (Iran) have no navy, they have no communications, they have no air force.”
- “We will not relent until the enemy is completely and decisively defeated.”
- “The war will end very soon.”
- “The day when they will no longer start the very next day to develop nuclear weapons. When I can see that they no longer have any capability, for a very long time, to develop means of warfare that could be used against the U.S., Israel, or any of our allies.”
We will all soon see what the real U.S. goals of this war have been, and whether this is about oil or the survival of Western Civilization in the face of the Islamic regime of the Ayatollahs. Let us all pray that now that we are in the midst of this war, we will finish and complete the mission for the safety and protection of Israel, the United States, and our children.
Iran’s behavior seems incongruent, but it is actually in harmony with its theology at a deeper level. In what has shocked much of the West, Iran has now launched over 2,000 drones and 500 ballistic missiles at Gulf states since the start of the war. On Monday, the IRGC Aerospace Forces stated, “From now on, we will not launch any missile with a warhead weighing less than a ton.” It almost seems that they are not trying to win a war, but are trying to sow chaos, fear, and confusion into the world.
But that is actually a theological goal for Iran for two reasons. The first is that Iran is composed of over 90% Shia Muslims, whereas most of their neighbors are Sunni; so while both are Muslims, there is an ancient history of war between the two sects. The other reason is their belief in the “Mahdi,” a direct descendant of Mohammed who they believe is immortal, traces back to a 9th-century leader (this is not in the Koran), and will herald their “Day of Judgment,” and that this Mahdi will only come during a time of intense suffering and chaos right before the end times. Based on this understanding, it makes sense for Iran to be causing chaos even with its traditional Arab allies in order to hasten the coming of the Mahdi.
Chaos is becoming commonplace in this upside-down world we live in. But in the Torah, we learn that before there was Creation, there was “tohu v’vohu” — “chaos and confusion” (Gen. 1:2), and that it was out of this chaos and confusion that the world was born.
May all the chaos and confusion that we are experiencing now, and have been for over two years, transform through our efforts and God’s will into a new creation: a world of true and lasting peace for us, for Israel, for the United States, and for the world.
Chazak u’Baruch
Rabbi Michael Barclay
March 10, 2026
21st of Adar, 5786
Enjoying PJ Media? Get exclusive content and support independent journalism with 60% off a PJ Media VIP membership. Use promo code FIGHT and join today.
