There is constant talk of a US war with Iran, and constant escalations
in rhetoric. But Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley, the head of the Defense
Intelligence Agency (DIA) sees the war as something nobody wants and
that he doesn’t believe Iran, China, or Russia wants to see a war
started.
Lt. Gen. Ashley has been pressed on the possible war several times,
based around public narratives that such a war is only a matter of time.
He says, however, that “the outcome would be very horrific for all” and everyone knows it’s best to avoid it.
That’s certainly in keeping with the official stance of President Trump,
at least most of the time. While the president will occasionally
promise destruction like none have ever seen in human history, in
general he’s said the US doesn’t seek a war with Iran, and doesn’t want
such a war.
If the DIA chief, the top intelligence official at the Pentagon, is
right about his part of this, that Iran, China, and Russia don’t want
war either, this would be a very encouraging sign, as this is clearly a
war of choice for all involved, and if no one wants to choose to start
it, presumably it won’t be started.
There is, of course, always the danger of blundering into a war through
mistakes, and with a number of US hawks that are still hoping to see
such a war, the risks are higher than normal. There remains hope,
particularly with the Pentagon saying it’s not a war Iran wants, that
cooler heads can ultimately prevail.
Pentagon Intel Chief: Iran Does Not Want War
General says outcome 'would be very horrific for all'
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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