Source: Washington Post
by George F Will
“In much of life, but especially in foreign policy, a three-word question is crucial: But then what? That is approximately what Adm. Isoroku Yamamoto said when Japan’s government asked if he could stealthily take a fleet across the northern Pacific and deal a devastating blow to the U.S. fleet at Pearl Harbor. … Having studied at Harvard and served as a military attaché in Washington, he knew the United States and knew that his attack would produce an industrial superpower unified by rage. Iran has no comparable capacity for retribution. There are, however, reasons to worry about Iranian threats to the 40,000 U.S. military personnel in the region, Iran’s capacity for nihilistic attacks on global energy and commerce, and the tentacles of Iran’s international terrorism apparatus. It will be a major surprise if there is only a negligible surprise from Iran.” (06/24/25)